The Rivalry: Mystery at the Army-Navy Game by John Feinstein

Author:John Feinstein [Feinstein, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-375-89603-3
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2010-09-28T04:00:00+00:00

DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING

Tim Kelly explained why the Secret Service had sought him and Dick Hall out. “On any football team, the people who know the players the best are the trainer and the equipment manager.”

“Not their position coach?” Stevie asked.

Hall jumped in. “There are things kids keep from their coaches because they’re afraid it might affect their playing time: a fight with their girlfriend, a minor injury, feeling sick a couple days before a game, something going on with their parents at home. There’s lots of stuff.”

“To be honest, it’s especially true here because Dicky and I have been around a long time,” Kelly said. “When Bob Sutton was the coach here, he would say that visiting grads sometimes went to the football office to say hello, but they always went to the equipment room or the training room.”

“They like my candy,” Hall joked.

“So the Secret Service came to you guys wanting to know what? If there was anyone on the team who might want to hurt the president?” Stevie said.

“No, no. But they were interested in anyone who might be connected with a hate group, or a white supremacy group, or know someone who was.”

“Whoa. Do you know if they had some specific reason for asking?”

“No, no idea. They made it seem routine.…”

“And—is that something a player would actually tell you?”

“Possibly,” Kelly said. “We have had white players in the past who weren’t that comfortable playing with blacks. Some came from all-white teams in high school. They got over it pretty fast. To be honest, if there’s a bias issue in this locker room—or in almost any football locker room—it’s against gays.”

“Huh. Do you have gay players?” Stevie asked, even though he was going off topic.

Kelly shrugged. “I’m sure we have. Statistics say we have. But if you think the military is ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ try a football locker room.”

Stevie thought that was interesting but tried to steer the conversation back to the topic at hand. “So the Secret Service came to you and …?”

“They had pulled everyone’s file before they came to see us,” Kelly said. “Mostly they asked routine stuff to confirm what was there or amplify on it a little. The guys they asked the most about seemed to be from the South, and some did come from all-white programs. That’s who they were interested in.”

“And is there anyone you were worried about?” Stevie asked.

“Absolutely not,” Kelly said. “There’s nothing that we know of to be concerned about. And we probably would know.”

“I guess they’re doing the same thing at Navy,” Stevie said.

“I imagine they’re doing the same thing with anyone and everyone who might come in contact with the president,” Hall said. He sighed. “Look, nothing’s wrong here, really. It just makes me uncomfortable to be thinking about people in this way—to look at everyone like a potential suspect. Especially these kids. Asking about the Southerners is a form of profiling, as far as I’m concerned.”

Stevie nodded. “I know what you mean. Thanks for helping me out.

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