A rueful smile crossed his lips. “To say my professional football career didn’t last as long as I wanted it to last is the ultimate understatement, but I will eventually learn to live with that. Millions of young men who strap on their shoulder pads on Friday nights would give anything to experience what I did for those few short months with the Chicago Bears. I will always be grateful and count myself as one of the lucky ones.

“But today is about more than my football career. This is about the future. As many of you know, I lost my best friend, Silas Cannon III, during our senior year at Katy High School. If he’d had the chance, I have no doubt that Silas would have made it all the way to Canton, Ohio, and the football Hall of Fame. Even though the game meant a lot to him, Silas’s family meant more. Helping people—especially those who just couldn’t seem to get a fair shake in life—meant more to him.”

Jamar folded his hands on the table.

“Today, as I announce my official retirement from professional football, I want to also announce my plans to launch the Silas Cannon III Foundation, which will focus on supporting kids with incarcerated parents. I know this is a cause that my best friend would approve of.

“As I bring this statement to a close, I want to take a minute to thank everyone who had a hand in bringing me to this point in my life. My parents, my agent, my coaches and former teammates, the physicians and specialists who took care of me, the Cannon family, and Taylor Powell of Taylor’d Conditioning Fitness Consulting.”

“Oh, shit,” London gasped.

“Shhh…” Samiah whispered.

Jamar looked up from his phone and stared directly at the camera.

“My biggest regret in not being able to work out for you all today is that I won’t be able to showcase the strides I’ve made in my recovery thanks to Taylor’d Conditioning. Its owner is one of the toughest, most talented, and most qualified fitness professionals I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. If I had made it back into the League, any success I enjoyed would be thanks to her.

“Taylor’d Conditioning has my wholehearted endorsement.” He paused for a moment, then said, “And Taylor Powell has my whole heart.” He stood. “Thank you for your time today,” he finished, and then he walked out of the camera frame.

None of them said anything. They all just continued to stare at the television until London broke the silence with a low whistle.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to marry his ass,” London said.

“What do I do?” Taylor asked. “Do I call him? Do I wait for him to call me?”

Samiah hunched her shoulders. “I don’t know. Maybe wait?”

“But what if he doesn’t call?”