Chapter 2

After high school, Troy had been a college football darling, and then a rising star in the NFL. The Bengals had drafted him as their second-string quarterback, with rumors that he’d be starting quarterback next season. This was big news; the Bengals hadn’t had a Black starting quarterback in a while. Sportscasters debated the issue, their condescending arguments cloaked in faux concern: were the Bengals ready for such a momentous move? Or was their delay in starting Troy proof that their franchise wasn’t the right fit for him?

Five years went by, and Troy languished in the second-string. The starting quarterback started missing more and more games, with Troy picking up the slack and racking up the wins. They made it to playoffs one year thanks to Troy’s leadership, but he was relegated to the bench while the starting quarterback, miraculously healed of the injury that had plagued him all season, ran the team into the ground.