Coach (1989–1997): Season 1, Episode 9 - I'm Sorry I Told You My Wife Was Dead - full transcript
Hayden lies to a widow about his ex-wife being dead just so she can fund the new athletic center.
WOMAN: Coach is filmed
before a studio audience.
This is not about football.
This is about
right and wrong.
No, I'm not gonna yell and scream at you
guys, because I am not angry.
No. I am disappointed.
Disappointed that some of you have been
accepting free food and beer at the pub.
And I'm disappointed that some
of you have been getting passes
to the campus movie theater.
And disappointed that some of you
think it's your God-given right
to steal towels
from the locker room.
There is only one word to
describe the way I am feeling.
I am just plain...
Disillusioned?
Disappointed.
Hey, Dad?
Oh, I'm sorry.
I didn't realize you were in a meeting.
Yeah. Just give me a second
here, will you, Kelly?
Yeah.
Now, let's get
one thing straight.
Just because you are members
of this football team
does not give you
special privileges.
Everybody at this university,
every student,
every faculty member,
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
is treated exactly the same.
What is it, sweetheart?
I'm sorry, Dad.
I was just thinking about
giving Mom a call.
Do you think I could use
the WATS line?
Well, sure, sweetheart.
Go ahead, talk as long as you want to.
Thanks.
Dismissed.
Mom, that sounds great.
(DOOR OPENING)
Yeah.
Oh, well, I'd better go.
Dad just walked in,
and I should give him
his office back.
Yeah, he's standing right here.
You want to say hi?
Oh, yeah, I understand.
Sure. Okay. Bye-bye.
She had to run.
Well, you know, Kelly,
your mom and I have been divorced 16 years.
I don't take
that stuff personally.
I didn't want
to talk to her, either.
Yeah. Well, I gotta run, too.
Thanks for letting me
use your phone.
(GRUNTS)
Hey, Coach!
Hi, Dauber.
Hi, Kelly.
Coach, that speech
you gave to the players
about not stealing stuff
really worked.
Yeah?
Yeah. So far, the guys have turned
in a bunch of towels, some tape,
a soap dispenser,
and the keys to my van.
All right, Daub. That means
you start driving again.
As soon as
they give me my tires back.
Have you heard the news yet?
What news?
Oh, you haven't heard, then.
God, I'm gonna
have to tell you.
I thought you'd be
the first person they called.
Called about what?
Earl Rizendough
died this morning.
What? I just heard about
it 10 minutes ago myself.
Holy smokes.
How?
Heart attack.
Went just like that.
Sudden death.
Of course,
being the great football fan he was,
that's probably the way
he wanted to go.
Geez! I just
can't believe it.
I just saw Earl
at last weekend's game.
I mean, he was cheering and
carrying on like he always does.
His face was beet red,
and the veins were
sticking out on his neck.
Man, he looked great.
I know the team
is gonna miss him.
Yeah, and what
he's given financially.
LUTHER: Oh,
he'd donated millions.
You'd think someone
would have called.
You know, you pick up a phone.
You dial it. It's simple.
Oh, Luther, I don't care
nobody called me.
I mean, what's important is
that Minnesota State has lost
a great man
and a great friend.
Hey, Coach, I know this is
really sad and everything,
and I know this is a really
big loss for the school,
but with Mr. Rizendough
dead, doesn't this mean...
Doesn't mean what, Dauber?
Mean what?
You mean,
now we're gonna get all the money
that Earl promised he'd leave
to the football program?
And now, just because
our richest alumni is dead,
we're entitled
to a new athletic center?
Is that what
you were thinking?
Actually that's more
than I was thinking.
I tell you, I can't think
about that stuff right now.
No amount of money is gonna make
up for the loss I'm feeling.
Not even $10.2 million for an
athletic facility and covered parking.
Gentlemen, I'd like to have a
moment of silence, if I may.
Here it is.
The Earl J. Rizendough
Athletic Center.
(WHISTLING)
Oh, boy.
You are looking at what may be the
finest training facility in the country.
State-of-the-art weight
and conditioning rooms,
first-class player lounges,
coaches' suites.
Gentlemen,
welcome to the big time!
ALL: Yeah!
Hayden. Luther. Dauber.
Howard, come on in, babe!
Look, we just got a sketch
of the new athletic facility.
Wait till you
see it, Howard.
58,000 square feet of the finest
architecture money can buy,
and 96 square feet of it
is yours, Howard. Look!
Right up here in the corner.
Howard J Burleigh, Athletic Director.
What do you think?
I think we shouldn't get
too attached to it.
What do you mean?
Oh, man.
What happened?
Why, I just got off the phone
with Earl's widow.
There isn't going to be any
$10.2 million athletic center.
Why not?
Earl never put
his wishes in writing.
He left everything
to his wife,
and she says there are more important
things to do with the money.
Like what?
She's putting the whole $10
million into medical research.
Oh, for crying out loud!
I knew
this was gonna happen.
Every time something
starts going our way,
it just keeps
right on going.
God damn it! I'm not going to
let it happen.
Now, Earl promised us
that money.
I think, morally,
it's ours, isn't it?
Isn't there something
we can do?
We can go
into medical research.
Count me out.
Hey, look, wait a minute.
What if I was to go over there
and try to talk her out of it?
Oh, you're not
going anywhere.
If anybody is going to talk to
her, it's going to be me.
Luth, Daub, can I have
a word alone with the Coach?
Sure. I'm gonna be
stuck in this basement
for the rest of my life,
just trying to coach people in a bomb shelter.
You talk to her.
You said you wanted to.
I just said that
in front of the guys.
I want them to know
who's boss around here.
Howard, I think they know
who's boss around here.
Hayden, we have got to get
this money, and you can do it.
You're a great salesman,
you can think on your feet.
Yeah, I know,
that's why I want to do it.
Oh.
(SIGHING)
Good.
Well, it's against
my better judgment,
but if you insist
on talking to her,
you've got my permission.
Luther, Dauber.
So he's scared to go
talk to her, huh?
Yeah.
Mrs. Rizendough?
Come in, Coach Fox.
Thank you, Martha.
Well, I wanna thank you
for seeing me.
I know this is still
a difficult time for you.
Well, I haven't been seeing
very many people
these past few weeks,
it's true.
But I know how fond
Earl was of you.
I thought the least I could do
was hear what you had to say.
Well...
Well, I sure never met a
football fan like your husband.
Yes, he loved the game.
Yeah. Wow! Look at this.
Ticket stubs to the 1946
homecoming game.
Hey!
And the first
Screaming Eagles pennant.
Boy, this is great stuff.
There's a lifetime of football
right here in this room.
What are you going to do
with it all?
Throw it out.
I beg your pardon?
Coach Fox, let me be honest.
I never really liked football.
It was Earl's passion,
but it never held
any interest for me.
Ah. Well, you're talking about
football, the game.
I never liked that, either.
I'm talking about
football, the dream.
See, I'm here to talk about
my kind of football.
More importantly,
I'm here to talk about
Earl's kind of football.
Will this take long?
Just a couple of minutes,
I think.
Well, it's just that I'm meeting the
head of the medical center at 3:00.
Oh, geez, I'm glad I didn't
hit any traffic, then.
Um, I'll cut this short.
Uh, you know,
Earl used to say to me,
"Coach, you're not just creating
winners in the game of football,
"but you're creating winners
in the game of life."
And I think he was right.
I'm turning boys into men.
And frankly, that's a contribution
that I'm very, very proud of.
I'm no expert, Coach Fox,
but from what I know
of football,
all it does is
take innocent boys
and systematically turn them
into mindless barbarians.
And you say
you're no expert?
But let's look at the
important side of football,
that side that creates healthy
minds and healthy bodies.
Let's take
the ideal football player.
He's got a heart
like a locomotive,
pumping drug-free blood
through arteries
that run as clean and clear
as mountain streams.
And then he strides downfield
on legs of steel,
and all that time
he maintains a "C" average.
Hey, come on.
These guys are fit for life.
And the Earl J. Rizendough
Athletic Center
is gonna make them
stronger, faster and fitter.
Yes, provided
it doesn't cripple them first.
Look, you know,
Mrs. Rizendough,
I have to be honest.
I hate football.
But it does create heroes.
And heroes are what made
this country great.
I'm just trying
to save America.
Coach Fox,
I admire your passion,
but my mind is made up.
I'm sorry.
No, I guess I should be the one
apologizing, Mrs. Rizendough.
I think it was a mistake to
come at you with all this stuff,
with Earl's passing still
so recent and everything.
I know you've got
other things on your mind.
I'm fine, Coach Fox, really.
Well, whatever.
Uh, well, if I could make
a suggestion, if I may.
Maybe I could come back
a little later,
when you've had
some time to recover.
I know you're still
feeling, you know...
Don't tell me how I'm feeling.
You have no idea how I feel.
Well, I think I may have
some idea of how you feel.
I mean, I don't want to
diminish your loss or anything,
but I know, I've lost
people close to me.
Someone as close as a spouse?
Well, in all honesty, yes.
You've lost your wife?
Yes.
I'm sorry. I had no idea.
Yeah, well,
it wasn't something
I really intended
to talk about, you know.
You'll have to forgive me
for lashing out at you.
I guess I'm not coping with
this as well as I thought I was.
No, no, no. I think
you're doing wonderfully.
Well, losing her
must have been a shock.
No, we pretty much
saw it coming.
Do you have time for me to just
share one small story with you?
Please.
Well, you know, Beth,
that was my wife.
Beth and I had a daughter
while we were still together.
Beth had a wish.
Well, it was a lot
like Earl's.
It wasn't down in writing or anything,
it was just a simple request.
And that was that Kelly,
that's my daughter,
be raised with a lot of love
and get a great education.
And I've done what I could
to honor that wish.
And Kelly is here with me
at Minnesota State.
And I can guarantee you, Mrs.
Rizendough, that Beth knows
that Kelly is right here
with her dad.
And I can assure you of something
else, Mrs. Rizendough,
that if you go ahead and
build this athletic center,
Earl is gonna know that
you honored his wish.
And every time you pass it,
you know, maybe, you'll feel
that just a little part of Earl
is right here with us.
Coach Fox, you disarm me.
I think I'm beginning to see
why Earl was so fond of you.
I'll tell you
what I'm going to do.
I'm going to think over
what you said,
and perhaps we can reach
some compromise.
Why don't you join me for dinner tomorrow
night, and we'll discuss it further.
Thank you.
That would mean a lot to me.
I'll see you at 7:00.
All right.
Oh. Don't forget your sketch.
Well, why don't I
leave that with you?
Is it a good sign or a bad
sign that he's not back yet?
It's a good sign.
Bad sign.
It's a good sign.
It means there's hope.
If he got the money he'd be back by now.
It's a bad sign.
Did you ever hear
of positive thinking?
Yeah.
I don't think it works.
You look happy.
Are you happy?
I think so.
All right!
Really?
Well, we're not there yet,
but she's talking about
some sort of compromise.
Way to go, Coach.
I knew if anybody could do it, you could.
What's the next step?
We're having dinner
tomorrow night.
Al right!
I'll tell you, I really didn't
think you could pull it off.
Luther,
you were pessimistic?
Oh, really, ask them.
I was a real doubting Thomas.
From now on, I'm a believer.
I'll tell you that.
Well, there is just one little
wrinkle I'm gonna have to iron out.
Something's wrong.
No, no, no. No, nothing's
wrong, nothing's wrong. Just...
Let me ask you a question.
If someone came up to you
and said, "I lost my wife",
what would that mean to you?
That means she's dead.
What else could it mean?
Nothing.
Think.
You mean like you lost her in
a mall or something like that?
Maybe. I mean,
what about "I lost her"
like "I divorced her"?
I never heard
of anything like that.
Huh.
Luther, Dauber, could you excuse
the Coach and me for a minute?
We'll be out in the hall.
LUTHER: I've been through
this kind of thing before.
I'll tell you there's something wrong.
You can count on it.
What did you do?
I didn't do anything.
Mrs. Rizendough and I
were talking about feelings
and about grief and about
losing people close to us,
and I just mentioned to her
how I lost Beth.
You told Mrs. Rizendough
Beth died?
I didn't say she died.
Mrs. Rizendough just assumed,
and when she did,
she seemed to like me
a lot better, Howie.
In other words,
you played on her sympathy.
Well, kind of.
Hayden, do you know
what you are?
What?
A genius!
I never would have had
the nerve to do what you did.
To lie like that right off
the top of your head.
Well, technically,
it wasn't a lie.
Oh, come on.
It was a great lie.
It was vintage Hayden Fox.
You're the best.
Well, it was just
a reflex thing, you know.
(PHONE RINGING)
Coach here.
Mrs. Rizendough. Hi.
Kelly?
Well, gee. Well, that's awfully
nice of you to include her but, um,
Mrs. Rizendough, could you hold
on for just one second, please?
She wants me to bring
Kelly to dinner.
Great.
But I can't ask Kelly
to pretend her mother's dead.
I mean, I think
that's wrong somehow.
You have to.
You don't have any choice.
If you try to turn back now,
we'll lose everything.
Hi, Mrs. Rizendough?
Yeah, I had... l just had to go to
the bathroom for a second there.
Look, yeah. I think
Kelly would love to come,
and I'd be
looking forward to it, too.
All right.
Thank you. Bye-bye.
We're in now.
Oh, man. What am I
going to say to Kelly?
Kelly'll understand.
How do you know that?
She's the Fox's daughter.
Dad?
Hey, sweetheart.
Thanks for coming early.
So, what did you want
to talk to me about?
Well, just something
about tonight.
Boy. Look at that dress.
Now, I like that dress.
Thank you.
Mom bought it for me.
Did she? Well, your mom
always had great taste.
Has great taste.
Well, Dad, I am really
looking forward to this.
You know, I've never had
dinner in a mansion before.
Yeah, well, see,
now that's kind of
what I wanted
to talk to you about.
I don't want you to get the
wrong idea about tonight.
You know. I mean,
it's not exactly what you
thought it was going to be.
I just thought
it was going to be fun.
Right. It's not
going to be that.
It's not?
No. You see,
tonight's dinner is
3 fund-raising dinner.
Oh, I know that.
Yeah. Well, okay.
The thing about
fund raising is,
it's not always
pretty, Kelly.
You know, sometimes
you gotta tell people
what you think they want to hear,
and you can't always do that
in complete honesty.
Dad, you don't have to explain
all this stuff to me.
I mean, I understand
about fund raising
and salesmanship
and all that stuff.
You know, you're not
gonna shock me, okay?
I trust you.
You do?
Yeah.
Why?
Well, because I know you'd
never do anything terrible.
How do you know that?
Well, because for all
your faults,
Mom always said that you had a
line that you wouldn't cross.
You know, she said
that deep down,
somewhere in there
you had a conscience.
Your Mom said that?
Did she ever say anything
else nice about me?
Yeah.
Can't think of anything
right off-hand.
Was there something that
you wanted me to do tonight?
Yeah.
What I think I want you to do,
sweetheart, is not go with me.
You mean you want
to take two cars?
(LAUGHING)
I love you.
Oh, sweetheart, no.
This is not a carpool problem.
See, I want you
to stay here tonight.
Why?
Trust me.
Okay, I will.
Hmm?
But, Dad?
Next time you're gonna
ask me to trust you,
will you do it before
I get all dressed up?
Hey, if I'm thinking that far
ahead, you can count on it.
Mrs. Rizendough
should be in shortly.
Thank you.
Would you like
anything to drink?
Did you have a beer?
Just before you got here.
Why? Can you smell it?
No, I meant, can I have one?
Oh.
Coach Fox.
Ah, Mrs. Rizendough.
Isn't your daughter with you?
No, ma'am, I'm sorry.
She couldn't make it.
You see,
right at the last minute
she came down with
a horrible case of the flu.
Boy, I tell you.
It was just awful.
I mean, I don't want
to go into details,
but, boy, it would have spoiled
dinner, believe you me.
I hope you understand.
Well, I'm disappointed,
of course, but I understand.
Do give her my best.
I sure will.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
It's for him.
Thank you.
Well, I realize
we haven't eaten yet,
but I don't see any reason
to prolong the suspense.
Oh, what's this?
Open it.
Wow.
That's just the down payment,
of course.
You'll get another $9.2 million
when you're ready to start building.
You mean, we beat out
medical research?
Man, I can't believe this.
I've never held a check
for a million dollars.
I don't know what to say.
You don't have
to say anything.
Why don't we
go in to dinner?
Mrs. Rizendough, wait.
There is something
I want to say.
There's something that's been
bugging me since yesterday,
and before I really
accept this check, you know,
I kind of like to put
all my cards on the table.
What do you mean?
Well, it's probably nothing.
I'm just a guy
with an overactive
conscience, I guess.
Yesterday, when we were talking and
having such a good time and everything,
what did you think
I actually meant
when I said
that I'd lost my wife?
That she'd died.
(LAUGHING NERVOUSLY)
Oh, golly. Well...
See, I was afraid of that.
I beg your pardon?
Well, you know, I got to be honest with
you, Mrs. Rizendough.
You see,
my wife is not
technically dead.
What do you mean
"not technically"?
Well, you know,
I think of it like a death.
Technically, we're divorced.
You lied to me.
Not technically.
I swear to you, when I was saying that I lost my
wife, ll in no way meant to imply...
Oh, come off it, Mr. Fox!
Okay, okay. That's a lie.
But I'm sorrier about it
than anything I've ever done
in my whole life,
and that's the truth.
What kind of man are you?
I don't know. I don't know.
A desperate one, I guess.
I just wanted that
athletic center so much,
that I was willing to go
to any length to get it.
You know, even on my worst
day I thought there was a line
I wouldn't cross over,
but I crossed over it with you,
and I'm terribly sorry.
Just out of curiosity,
do you even
have a daughter?
Of course I do.
I would never lie about that.
And she has the flu?
No.
I just didn't want her
to see this. You know, I mean,
Mrs. Rizendough, when I said
that I lost my wife,
I was just trying to show you
that in my own small way,
that I understand what it's
like to suffer a great loss.
But you don't understand what it's
like to suffer a great loss, do you?
No, ma'am, I don't.
Now I do.
I'll have Martha
show you out.
Oh. Before I go, now,
I just want you to think about one thing.
Now, look. I could've
walked out that door
just now with a check for a million
dollars, but I didn't.
And I didn't have to tell you the
truth about my wife, but I did.
What is your point, Mr. Fox?
I just hope
that's worth something.
I think it is.
You've saved some shred
of your self-respect.
Well, I was hoping for something more.
I mean, come on...
before a studio audience.
This is not about football.
This is about
right and wrong.
No, I'm not gonna yell and scream at you
guys, because I am not angry.
No. I am disappointed.
Disappointed that some of you have been
accepting free food and beer at the pub.
And I'm disappointed that some
of you have been getting passes
to the campus movie theater.
And disappointed that some of you
think it's your God-given right
to steal towels
from the locker room.
There is only one word to
describe the way I am feeling.
I am just plain...
Disillusioned?
Disappointed.
Hey, Dad?
Oh, I'm sorry.
I didn't realize you were in a meeting.
Yeah. Just give me a second
here, will you, Kelly?
Yeah.
Now, let's get
one thing straight.
Just because you are members
of this football team
does not give you
special privileges.
Everybody at this university,
every student,
every faculty member,
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
is treated exactly the same.
What is it, sweetheart?
I'm sorry, Dad.
I was just thinking about
giving Mom a call.
Do you think I could use
the WATS line?
Well, sure, sweetheart.
Go ahead, talk as long as you want to.
Thanks.
Dismissed.
Mom, that sounds great.
(DOOR OPENING)
Yeah.
Oh, well, I'd better go.
Dad just walked in,
and I should give him
his office back.
Yeah, he's standing right here.
You want to say hi?
Oh, yeah, I understand.
Sure. Okay. Bye-bye.
She had to run.
Well, you know, Kelly,
your mom and I have been divorced 16 years.
I don't take
that stuff personally.
I didn't want
to talk to her, either.
Yeah. Well, I gotta run, too.
Thanks for letting me
use your phone.
(GRUNTS)
Hey, Coach!
Hi, Dauber.
Hi, Kelly.
Coach, that speech
you gave to the players
about not stealing stuff
really worked.
Yeah?
Yeah. So far, the guys have turned
in a bunch of towels, some tape,
a soap dispenser,
and the keys to my van.
All right, Daub. That means
you start driving again.
As soon as
they give me my tires back.
Have you heard the news yet?
What news?
Oh, you haven't heard, then.
God, I'm gonna
have to tell you.
I thought you'd be
the first person they called.
Called about what?
Earl Rizendough
died this morning.
What? I just heard about
it 10 minutes ago myself.
Holy smokes.
How?
Heart attack.
Went just like that.
Sudden death.
Of course,
being the great football fan he was,
that's probably the way
he wanted to go.
Geez! I just
can't believe it.
I just saw Earl
at last weekend's game.
I mean, he was cheering and
carrying on like he always does.
His face was beet red,
and the veins were
sticking out on his neck.
Man, he looked great.
I know the team
is gonna miss him.
Yeah, and what
he's given financially.
LUTHER: Oh,
he'd donated millions.
You'd think someone
would have called.
You know, you pick up a phone.
You dial it. It's simple.
Oh, Luther, I don't care
nobody called me.
I mean, what's important is
that Minnesota State has lost
a great man
and a great friend.
Hey, Coach, I know this is
really sad and everything,
and I know this is a really
big loss for the school,
but with Mr. Rizendough
dead, doesn't this mean...
Doesn't mean what, Dauber?
Mean what?
You mean,
now we're gonna get all the money
that Earl promised he'd leave
to the football program?
And now, just because
our richest alumni is dead,
we're entitled
to a new athletic center?
Is that what
you were thinking?
Actually that's more
than I was thinking.
I tell you, I can't think
about that stuff right now.
No amount of money is gonna make
up for the loss I'm feeling.
Not even $10.2 million for an
athletic facility and covered parking.
Gentlemen, I'd like to have a
moment of silence, if I may.
Here it is.
The Earl J. Rizendough
Athletic Center.
(WHISTLING)
Oh, boy.
You are looking at what may be the
finest training facility in the country.
State-of-the-art weight
and conditioning rooms,
first-class player lounges,
coaches' suites.
Gentlemen,
welcome to the big time!
ALL: Yeah!
Hayden. Luther. Dauber.
Howard, come on in, babe!
Look, we just got a sketch
of the new athletic facility.
Wait till you
see it, Howard.
58,000 square feet of the finest
architecture money can buy,
and 96 square feet of it
is yours, Howard. Look!
Right up here in the corner.
Howard J Burleigh, Athletic Director.
What do you think?
I think we shouldn't get
too attached to it.
What do you mean?
Oh, man.
What happened?
Why, I just got off the phone
with Earl's widow.
There isn't going to be any
$10.2 million athletic center.
Why not?
Earl never put
his wishes in writing.
He left everything
to his wife,
and she says there are more important
things to do with the money.
Like what?
She's putting the whole $10
million into medical research.
Oh, for crying out loud!
I knew
this was gonna happen.
Every time something
starts going our way,
it just keeps
right on going.
God damn it! I'm not going to
let it happen.
Now, Earl promised us
that money.
I think, morally,
it's ours, isn't it?
Isn't there something
we can do?
We can go
into medical research.
Count me out.
Hey, look, wait a minute.
What if I was to go over there
and try to talk her out of it?
Oh, you're not
going anywhere.
If anybody is going to talk to
her, it's going to be me.
Luth, Daub, can I have
a word alone with the Coach?
Sure. I'm gonna be
stuck in this basement
for the rest of my life,
just trying to coach people in a bomb shelter.
You talk to her.
You said you wanted to.
I just said that
in front of the guys.
I want them to know
who's boss around here.
Howard, I think they know
who's boss around here.
Hayden, we have got to get
this money, and you can do it.
You're a great salesman,
you can think on your feet.
Yeah, I know,
that's why I want to do it.
Oh.
(SIGHING)
Good.
Well, it's against
my better judgment,
but if you insist
on talking to her,
you've got my permission.
Luther, Dauber.
So he's scared to go
talk to her, huh?
Yeah.
Mrs. Rizendough?
Come in, Coach Fox.
Thank you, Martha.
Well, I wanna thank you
for seeing me.
I know this is still
a difficult time for you.
Well, I haven't been seeing
very many people
these past few weeks,
it's true.
But I know how fond
Earl was of you.
I thought the least I could do
was hear what you had to say.
Well...
Well, I sure never met a
football fan like your husband.
Yes, he loved the game.
Yeah. Wow! Look at this.
Ticket stubs to the 1946
homecoming game.
Hey!
And the first
Screaming Eagles pennant.
Boy, this is great stuff.
There's a lifetime of football
right here in this room.
What are you going to do
with it all?
Throw it out.
I beg your pardon?
Coach Fox, let me be honest.
I never really liked football.
It was Earl's passion,
but it never held
any interest for me.
Ah. Well, you're talking about
football, the game.
I never liked that, either.
I'm talking about
football, the dream.
See, I'm here to talk about
my kind of football.
More importantly,
I'm here to talk about
Earl's kind of football.
Will this take long?
Just a couple of minutes,
I think.
Well, it's just that I'm meeting the
head of the medical center at 3:00.
Oh, geez, I'm glad I didn't
hit any traffic, then.
Um, I'll cut this short.
Uh, you know,
Earl used to say to me,
"Coach, you're not just creating
winners in the game of football,
"but you're creating winners
in the game of life."
And I think he was right.
I'm turning boys into men.
And frankly, that's a contribution
that I'm very, very proud of.
I'm no expert, Coach Fox,
but from what I know
of football,
all it does is
take innocent boys
and systematically turn them
into mindless barbarians.
And you say
you're no expert?
But let's look at the
important side of football,
that side that creates healthy
minds and healthy bodies.
Let's take
the ideal football player.
He's got a heart
like a locomotive,
pumping drug-free blood
through arteries
that run as clean and clear
as mountain streams.
And then he strides downfield
on legs of steel,
and all that time
he maintains a "C" average.
Hey, come on.
These guys are fit for life.
And the Earl J. Rizendough
Athletic Center
is gonna make them
stronger, faster and fitter.
Yes, provided
it doesn't cripple them first.
Look, you know,
Mrs. Rizendough,
I have to be honest.
I hate football.
But it does create heroes.
And heroes are what made
this country great.
I'm just trying
to save America.
Coach Fox,
I admire your passion,
but my mind is made up.
I'm sorry.
No, I guess I should be the one
apologizing, Mrs. Rizendough.
I think it was a mistake to
come at you with all this stuff,
with Earl's passing still
so recent and everything.
I know you've got
other things on your mind.
I'm fine, Coach Fox, really.
Well, whatever.
Uh, well, if I could make
a suggestion, if I may.
Maybe I could come back
a little later,
when you've had
some time to recover.
I know you're still
feeling, you know...
Don't tell me how I'm feeling.
You have no idea how I feel.
Well, I think I may have
some idea of how you feel.
I mean, I don't want to
diminish your loss or anything,
but I know, I've lost
people close to me.
Someone as close as a spouse?
Well, in all honesty, yes.
You've lost your wife?
Yes.
I'm sorry. I had no idea.
Yeah, well,
it wasn't something
I really intended
to talk about, you know.
You'll have to forgive me
for lashing out at you.
I guess I'm not coping with
this as well as I thought I was.
No, no, no. I think
you're doing wonderfully.
Well, losing her
must have been a shock.
No, we pretty much
saw it coming.
Do you have time for me to just
share one small story with you?
Please.
Well, you know, Beth,
that was my wife.
Beth and I had a daughter
while we were still together.
Beth had a wish.
Well, it was a lot
like Earl's.
It wasn't down in writing or anything,
it was just a simple request.
And that was that Kelly,
that's my daughter,
be raised with a lot of love
and get a great education.
And I've done what I could
to honor that wish.
And Kelly is here with me
at Minnesota State.
And I can guarantee you, Mrs.
Rizendough, that Beth knows
that Kelly is right here
with her dad.
And I can assure you of something
else, Mrs. Rizendough,
that if you go ahead and
build this athletic center,
Earl is gonna know that
you honored his wish.
And every time you pass it,
you know, maybe, you'll feel
that just a little part of Earl
is right here with us.
Coach Fox, you disarm me.
I think I'm beginning to see
why Earl was so fond of you.
I'll tell you
what I'm going to do.
I'm going to think over
what you said,
and perhaps we can reach
some compromise.
Why don't you join me for dinner tomorrow
night, and we'll discuss it further.
Thank you.
That would mean a lot to me.
I'll see you at 7:00.
All right.
Oh. Don't forget your sketch.
Well, why don't I
leave that with you?
Is it a good sign or a bad
sign that he's not back yet?
It's a good sign.
Bad sign.
It's a good sign.
It means there's hope.
If he got the money he'd be back by now.
It's a bad sign.
Did you ever hear
of positive thinking?
Yeah.
I don't think it works.
You look happy.
Are you happy?
I think so.
All right!
Really?
Well, we're not there yet,
but she's talking about
some sort of compromise.
Way to go, Coach.
I knew if anybody could do it, you could.
What's the next step?
We're having dinner
tomorrow night.
Al right!
I'll tell you, I really didn't
think you could pull it off.
Luther,
you were pessimistic?
Oh, really, ask them.
I was a real doubting Thomas.
From now on, I'm a believer.
I'll tell you that.
Well, there is just one little
wrinkle I'm gonna have to iron out.
Something's wrong.
No, no, no. No, nothing's
wrong, nothing's wrong. Just...
Let me ask you a question.
If someone came up to you
and said, "I lost my wife",
what would that mean to you?
That means she's dead.
What else could it mean?
Nothing.
Think.
You mean like you lost her in
a mall or something like that?
Maybe. I mean,
what about "I lost her"
like "I divorced her"?
I never heard
of anything like that.
Huh.
Luther, Dauber, could you excuse
the Coach and me for a minute?
We'll be out in the hall.
LUTHER: I've been through
this kind of thing before.
I'll tell you there's something wrong.
You can count on it.
What did you do?
I didn't do anything.
Mrs. Rizendough and I
were talking about feelings
and about grief and about
losing people close to us,
and I just mentioned to her
how I lost Beth.
You told Mrs. Rizendough
Beth died?
I didn't say she died.
Mrs. Rizendough just assumed,
and when she did,
she seemed to like me
a lot better, Howie.
In other words,
you played on her sympathy.
Well, kind of.
Hayden, do you know
what you are?
What?
A genius!
I never would have had
the nerve to do what you did.
To lie like that right off
the top of your head.
Well, technically,
it wasn't a lie.
Oh, come on.
It was a great lie.
It was vintage Hayden Fox.
You're the best.
Well, it was just
a reflex thing, you know.
(PHONE RINGING)
Coach here.
Mrs. Rizendough. Hi.
Kelly?
Well, gee. Well, that's awfully
nice of you to include her but, um,
Mrs. Rizendough, could you hold
on for just one second, please?
She wants me to bring
Kelly to dinner.
Great.
But I can't ask Kelly
to pretend her mother's dead.
I mean, I think
that's wrong somehow.
You have to.
You don't have any choice.
If you try to turn back now,
we'll lose everything.
Hi, Mrs. Rizendough?
Yeah, I had... l just had to go to
the bathroom for a second there.
Look, yeah. I think
Kelly would love to come,
and I'd be
looking forward to it, too.
All right.
Thank you. Bye-bye.
We're in now.
Oh, man. What am I
going to say to Kelly?
Kelly'll understand.
How do you know that?
She's the Fox's daughter.
Dad?
Hey, sweetheart.
Thanks for coming early.
So, what did you want
to talk to me about?
Well, just something
about tonight.
Boy. Look at that dress.
Now, I like that dress.
Thank you.
Mom bought it for me.
Did she? Well, your mom
always had great taste.
Has great taste.
Well, Dad, I am really
looking forward to this.
You know, I've never had
dinner in a mansion before.
Yeah, well, see,
now that's kind of
what I wanted
to talk to you about.
I don't want you to get the
wrong idea about tonight.
You know. I mean,
it's not exactly what you
thought it was going to be.
I just thought
it was going to be fun.
Right. It's not
going to be that.
It's not?
No. You see,
tonight's dinner is
3 fund-raising dinner.
Oh, I know that.
Yeah. Well, okay.
The thing about
fund raising is,
it's not always
pretty, Kelly.
You know, sometimes
you gotta tell people
what you think they want to hear,
and you can't always do that
in complete honesty.
Dad, you don't have to explain
all this stuff to me.
I mean, I understand
about fund raising
and salesmanship
and all that stuff.
You know, you're not
gonna shock me, okay?
I trust you.
You do?
Yeah.
Why?
Well, because I know you'd
never do anything terrible.
How do you know that?
Well, because for all
your faults,
Mom always said that you had a
line that you wouldn't cross.
You know, she said
that deep down,
somewhere in there
you had a conscience.
Your Mom said that?
Did she ever say anything
else nice about me?
Yeah.
Can't think of anything
right off-hand.
Was there something that
you wanted me to do tonight?
Yeah.
What I think I want you to do,
sweetheart, is not go with me.
You mean you want
to take two cars?
(LAUGHING)
I love you.
Oh, sweetheart, no.
This is not a carpool problem.
See, I want you
to stay here tonight.
Why?
Trust me.
Okay, I will.
Hmm?
But, Dad?
Next time you're gonna
ask me to trust you,
will you do it before
I get all dressed up?
Hey, if I'm thinking that far
ahead, you can count on it.
Mrs. Rizendough
should be in shortly.
Thank you.
Would you like
anything to drink?
Did you have a beer?
Just before you got here.
Why? Can you smell it?
No, I meant, can I have one?
Oh.
Coach Fox.
Ah, Mrs. Rizendough.
Isn't your daughter with you?
No, ma'am, I'm sorry.
She couldn't make it.
You see,
right at the last minute
she came down with
a horrible case of the flu.
Boy, I tell you.
It was just awful.
I mean, I don't want
to go into details,
but, boy, it would have spoiled
dinner, believe you me.
I hope you understand.
Well, I'm disappointed,
of course, but I understand.
Do give her my best.
I sure will.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
It's for him.
Thank you.
Well, I realize
we haven't eaten yet,
but I don't see any reason
to prolong the suspense.
Oh, what's this?
Open it.
Wow.
That's just the down payment,
of course.
You'll get another $9.2 million
when you're ready to start building.
You mean, we beat out
medical research?
Man, I can't believe this.
I've never held a check
for a million dollars.
I don't know what to say.
You don't have
to say anything.
Why don't we
go in to dinner?
Mrs. Rizendough, wait.
There is something
I want to say.
There's something that's been
bugging me since yesterday,
and before I really
accept this check, you know,
I kind of like to put
all my cards on the table.
What do you mean?
Well, it's probably nothing.
I'm just a guy
with an overactive
conscience, I guess.
Yesterday, when we were talking and
having such a good time and everything,
what did you think
I actually meant
when I said
that I'd lost my wife?
That she'd died.
(LAUGHING NERVOUSLY)
Oh, golly. Well...
See, I was afraid of that.
I beg your pardon?
Well, you know, I got to be honest with
you, Mrs. Rizendough.
You see,
my wife is not
technically dead.
What do you mean
"not technically"?
Well, you know,
I think of it like a death.
Technically, we're divorced.
You lied to me.
Not technically.
I swear to you, when I was saying that I lost my
wife, ll in no way meant to imply...
Oh, come off it, Mr. Fox!
Okay, okay. That's a lie.
But I'm sorrier about it
than anything I've ever done
in my whole life,
and that's the truth.
What kind of man are you?
I don't know. I don't know.
A desperate one, I guess.
I just wanted that
athletic center so much,
that I was willing to go
to any length to get it.
You know, even on my worst
day I thought there was a line
I wouldn't cross over,
but I crossed over it with you,
and I'm terribly sorry.
Just out of curiosity,
do you even
have a daughter?
Of course I do.
I would never lie about that.
And she has the flu?
No.
I just didn't want her
to see this. You know, I mean,
Mrs. Rizendough, when I said
that I lost my wife,
I was just trying to show you
that in my own small way,
that I understand what it's
like to suffer a great loss.
But you don't understand what it's
like to suffer a great loss, do you?
No, ma'am, I don't.
Now I do.
I'll have Martha
show you out.
Oh. Before I go, now,
I just want you to think about one thing.
Now, look. I could've
walked out that door
just now with a check for a million
dollars, but I didn't.
And I didn't have to tell you the
truth about my wife, but I did.
What is your point, Mr. Fox?
I just hope
that's worth something.
I think it is.
You've saved some shred
of your self-respect.
Well, I was hoping for something more.
I mean, come on...