Chapter 18

It was July 26th and Jared Winslow's Press Release announcing the practice schedule was ready for release on August 1st for the Sunday papers and sports sections throughout Vermont and New England. It was being prepared to mail to all invited team members and recruits as well as any walk-ons who had made themselves known. It would otherwise be posted at the Coaches Hall. As he had "promised" on his visits with players a few weeks earlier, it would be grueling and would prove just how much you might want the privilege of playing Division One NCAA football. With NorthEast 10 teams starting a week later than other NCAA programs it was designed to put an onus on players to report in shape and to save them and the school money. They would only have to find 3 nights of lodging before the 1st official day of students being allowed in dorms, instead of 9. The schools would also not have to feed the team the extra week. The streamlined regimen was discussed for a few years before the NCAA finally found it's guinea pig conference. The NCAA was hoping to cut the NCAA acclimatization process from 10 days of consecutive practices to 4 before pads were worn. Teams that seldom or never earned bowl monies felt they were at a disadvantage with 10 days of acclimatization. Now, that monetary playing field might be leveled some. The 10 day light practice (acclimatization) before pads was supposed to cut down on injuries, and it hadn't.

The letter was simple and direct about what was expected of them and made no apologies about the full practice schedule.

Friday, August 14 - 8:00-12:00 Noon. 3:00 p.m. Walk-ons report for weed out Saturday, August 15 - 8:00-12:00 Noon. 3:00 p.m. Walk-ons report for weed out Sunday, August 16 — (8:00-9:00 Team Worship at Coaches Hall for those who wish)

Practice 9:00-Noon.

Monday, August 17- 12:00-5:00 p.m.

Tuesday, August 18 — 8:00-11:00 a.m. and 1:30-4:00 p.m. (first full day of pads) Wednesday, August 19 — Classes begin.

All practices from hereafter are inside Meditek Stadium and are CLOSED Thursday, August 20 - 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Friday, August 21 - 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 22 - 8:00-11:00 a.m. and 1:30-4:00 p.m Sunday, August 23 — 3:00-5:00 p.m. Report to Coaches Hall —Playbook Study Monday, August 24 — 3:30-6:30 p.m. First cuts Tuesday, August 25 - 9:15-11:30 a.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, August 26 — No practice. Schedule class make-ups 3:00-7:00 p.m.

All Profs or tutors will be available Thursday, August 27 — 8:00-12:00 Noon. Team lunch 12:00-1:00 p.m.

Cuts and Playbook Study 1:30-3:30 Friday, August 28 — 3:30-5:30 Scrimmage prep Saturday, August 29 — Report 11:00 a.m. Meditek Stadium Scrimmage Boston College 1:00 p.m.

Sunday, August 30 — Report to Coaches Hall 5:30 with Playbook for team report card.

You are cut without your Playbook, no exceptions.

If you made the team thus far you will given the practice schedule for the week leading up to our 2nd scrimmage vs. Holy Cross. Curfew and grade management will be enforced from this day forward. No excuses. After keeping the two week practice schedule AND classes you will have graduated from boys and girls to student-athlete TEAM players. Look out for each other. You represent N.E.A.T. and yourselves. You will be in the National Sports Spotlight feature on NCAA Week on ESPN. They'll watch us prepare and then review our game at Holy Cross. Let's show them we mean business.

Coach Winslow

The coach had many things going on his life's burner but everything was advancing at a smooth pace.

For one, Brian Faraday was in the States and working out daily with Ger Nietczyk and staying at his ranch, working for his keep. Nietczyk had a ranch with llama and a few bison. He also produced maple syrup and maple products from the tree's on his land.

Also Marvin Hudson had gone to Quarterback Camp and was so impressive that the instructor called Jared to tell him he may have a winner. Marv was flying back out to Tulsa to take his "live" test the next day.

As for his love life, at her request, he hadn't seen Meaghan since his last trip through Chicago while doing one on ones. When he made that last trip, after the MidFaRe scandal broke there were reporters and photographers around and Meaghan felt guilty she had brought Jared into the fray. They spoke daily on the phone and she kept him updated. If Matt pled guilty without a trial on the Federal charges, they might be able to get the State's charges dropped. However, they still believed he had a pile of money hidden somewhere. He would have to come up with that before any deal was struck. Meg believed he put away a stash for Declan. She was going to talk with him and hope he might give up that cache. His best hope of jail time was 25 years, it seemed. The forgery, money laundering and the extortion counts were ultimately very provable, all linked to fraud and illegal interstate transfer of federally controlled securities. The 25 years seemed to be a sweet deal, according to his own attorney who had brokered the deal. However, it all hinged on IF Matt gave them what they wanted, and that was real cold hard cash that could just not be accounted for.

She wanted an assurance from Matt that if she remarried her husband could adopt Declan, with Matt rescinding his rights as a father. It would rake embarrassment and confusion from Declan's life. Declan was too young to understand the situation now and if he NEVER saw his Dad again he might be able to go through life with few, if any, questions as to why Matt neglected his commitment as a parent and did his nefarious deeds. As much as she knew it might hurt Matt, it would be part of his punishment for his deeds which he was willing to accept. His parents even agreed it might be best, although they still wanted to be able to see Declan. Meaghan's former in-laws certainly considered her more a daughter than they did Matt a son after his betrayal. They had went a long way to bail Matt out of his troubles while he withheld his real crimes and drained much of their savings. They had a retirement to worry about and Matt had cut into a lot of what they had planned for. The only positive from the whole thing was that Matt freely admitted what a terrible husband, father, son and person he had been, and that he was addicted to gambling.

Although Jared would like Meaghan there at his side, as long as the Matt MacDonald distraction was present he knew it was best she was not there and it gave him a chance to devote his full attention to his task as hand. Jared wanted little to do with the whole Matt affair and volunteered minimal input. He felt his position was tainted and that Meaghan should close the book on that part of her life by herself. He didn't want her to regret a decision he had been party to.

Besides his few hours of personal time, Jared Winslow's days leading up to the opening of camp were filled with his commitment to the team. He wasn't surprised when his phone rang and the caller ID read Joe Barber, his AD.

"Coach Winslow, mind if I drop a minor bomb on you?" He asked.

"Umm, depends. If you know it's really going to upset me and I'm going to find out anyway, leave it be." The coach said with a curious chuckle.

"Our ever present Dean, the unpredictable Meredith Crawford, wants you and I, along with Mike, Derek and Rich, the other coaches, to come over to her office for a short presentation before she has a little press announcement. It seems she has given us a new team name and logo." Joe said with a whine in his voice.

"I thought we were just NEAT, although one of the booster clubs has us as "Beavers". What does she have us?" He asked cautiously.

"Beavers was one of the club names before the NCAA sanctioning, and one team was the Eagles, and another the Rattlers, but the football team never really had a mascot. Well, I hope you like it because she's already signed a contract with a manufacturer and approved a design." Joe said, as if giving up hope.

"Oh my God, should I ask?"

"We are the NEAT Green Aggies."

"Well, it could have been worse and "green" seems to be in besides the connection to Vermont. Aren't these things usually decided by the student body and with SID promotions or something?" Jared wondered.

"Yeah, like maybe some input from us? She goes off half-cocked like this sometimes and steps on toes to make sure we all know who authorizes the checks ... She's also seen the headlines the woman has got at that tech school in New York and I think she would like some of that press." Barber told him.

"Whatever, let her have her fun. I can handle Green Aggies. But I'll probably act a little hurt. I'm planning on pitching for a players dorm for next season. If we can put together a decent season we can try to pitch the alumni for some help, but that's off in the future a bit, at least building one." Jared revealed.

"Thanks for the future headache, but I'll gather the other coaches up in the van and drive to see her majesty for 4 o'clock. Are you going to be there or at home?"

"I'll be in my office, just ring me on your way and I'll be out front. Do we dress for this?" Jared wondered.

"No, the press thing is tomorrow. She say's she'll give us blazers and caps for tomorrows press show. Bet you can't wait huh?" Joe laughed.

"Hey, once I plant the players dorm seed, my lips will be attached to her ass, so be prepared for that. She likes to be pampered and kowtowed to." Jared admitted.

"Don't think you'll have to get in her pants to get a favor. No one seems to knows if she plays for the home team or if she and her lawyer are an item. She keeps that all pretty shielded. One of the housekeepers said she had "lady friends" around a lot, but that was after she was taken off that crew, so... " Joe offered.

"Oh GOD! I'm not thinking of pursuing any goals on that level. She's got 20 years on me as well as way too much jewelry and a haughtiness that I think lies just beneath the surface." Jared said laughing as he finished his call and got ready for the 4 o'clock meeting.

Jared Winslow was not intimidated by Dean Crawford for one reason, he knew she admired him and all he had accomplished in his life. Her ironclad grip on the University purse strings were loosened easily for Winslow when he demanded the signing bonus and the extra year of commitment he sought to make his NEAT deal. His utter confidence in turning the program into a money maker by offering to pay back his signing bonus if it didn't told her he was for real. She told the head NEAT counsel, Jerry Sussman, who had advised her against the bonus in negotiations, "Braggadocio is one thing, but to stake that much money on your own abilities makes him a genius or a fool, and I'm betting genius."

As he rode with Joe Barber, Ann Comeche, and the other coaches into the Deans campus complex they were all quiet in pensive thought somehow amazed that they were about to see the team names changed and new uniforms presented without so much as an iota of input from any of them. Derek Englund, the Soccer coach, had been included in the presentation which told Joe Barber that the sport was about to fall under his realm, even though it was still of "club" status. Englund was sure the entire name and uniform change had been a machination of Jared Winslow, whom he still saw as an interloper as well as teachers pet to the Dean. He was shocked to hear Jared salt in his own derisive comments on the ride. No single coach made a long protest on the trip, just one and two word expletives over the situation.

As the van pulled into the circular drive in front of Dean Crawford's home Ann Comeche could no longer hold her tongue.

"I'm the fucking Sports Information Director and knew nothing of this and was never asked for input!! I mean, it wasn't even mentioned as an IDEA! If I don't strangle the lezzie bitch today I never will." She spat out before the van doors opened.

"Hold on everyone, before we go in... " Joe Barber said to get everyone's attention.

"No sense in letting our emotions get the best of us in this situation. Besides flexing her muscles here she's also trying to show each of us that she really is committed to sports and acknowledges the fact it serves as an advertisement for NEAT and is a money maker. She is on our side and wants to show that. Don't go off half-cocked and say anything to her to put you in a bad light or worse yet, get you fired. Unless this thing is just hideous let's all just stroke her and thank her and promise to participate in the news conference tomorrow." Joe calmly said.

"It looks like you'll be first in line to kiss her ass." Ann said caustically.

"I don't need her approval to fire your ass before we get inside Ann. I asked you to control your emotions and play nice and I mean it. Like it or not, she signs the checks we all cash on payday and even though she's overstepped normal bounds here, she's done it innocently trying to show a team spirit with all of us. Don't push me. I like my job too much to go down with any one of you. Now let's go in." Joe said firmly, all the while looking directly at Ann.

They didn't have to ring the bell, a young woman, apparently a student intern, greeted them and told them that Dean Crawford was waiting for them in the library, asking them to follow her.

Meredith was at her desk and stood when the entourage came in, smiling a grin few of them had ever seen.

"I can't tell you how happy I am to see each of you. I know it's a little unprecedented for the Dean to make such a decision without input from her most key people, the people it may most effect. But I really wanted to show you all how committed I am to each of your programs. I wanted a name that shows what we are and who we are. Green, that is being green, is so much in today's news I thought it only fitting we take our location in the nations greenest state and tie that with the environmental green, along with our agricultural connections in our education format to become the Green Aggies of N-E-A-T." She said with a proud smile as she clicked a light that shone on two jerseys on easels showing a home and away uniform.

The home uni was a forest green with white lettering. The player number was on the front with "aggies" in white over the number and "of N E A T " under it. There were white accent stripes on the sleeves and a green Vermont state patch. The back of the jersey also featured the player number and his name in white. The away uni was the opposite color-wise, green on white, and the Vermont patch was replaced with N.E.A.T. on a patch. Both were accented in either green or white piping.

Ann Comeche smiled big and let out a sigh of relief.

"Dean, I can't tell you how skeptical I was about all of this, but this, ... THIS (pointing to the jerseys) is just fantastic. They are awesome. We've never really had a link to who we are and the colors have always been green, um ... ish. Now we have something. Can I assume that we will call these our colors and can fashion a logo for licensing?"

"Licensing?" The Dean asked innocently. "Jerry Sussman, our counsel kept mentioning it, how much will it cost us?"

The group laughed, some right out loud, until Joe Barber stepped forward and took her hand.

"Now, it's possible to have a trademark logo that people can buy and wear everywhere and we will get paid licensing fees for allowing them to use it and make money off the sales thereof. We've always produced and marketed OUR OWN... "souvenirs", if you will, with the university logo." He explained.

"So WHY haven't we done this before?" She wondered.

"Because no one off campus, or maybe out of state, cared enough about our teams. Now we could become a continuing national story." Ann said looking to Jared with all of the other eyes following her.

Jared shuffled his feet and looked back up saying, "No pressure here, none at all." Before smiling as the others chuckled at his discomfort.

With the uniforms fiasco ending in a positive light each of the coaches and staff were given blazers in the official colors and asked to wear them to the press conference the following day. It signaled the approach of the football programs climb up to the highest drop before it's roller coaster car plunged into the season of try-outs, practices, cuts and first game prep. Things would happen at break-neck speeds and preparation was your only defense against the g-forces the season would bring. Jared Winslow's put-up or shut-up time was nigh, and from outside appearances, he showed no signs of the stress.

Coach spent the next morning on the phone talking to recruits and returning players he could not meet personally with. He was getting more and more excited over the upcoming challenge and each time he looked at the team blazer hung on the coat hook by the door he got a little more proud of his decision to make the move. As 11 o'clock approached he donned the blazer and drove to New England Meditek Stadium where the media room buzzed with local outlets setting up alongside ESPN news and a few other college sports reporters. Although announcement of colors and logo didn't seem a big deal, it was a slow sports day for football overall and the media still loved the feel-good buzz that the young successful coach had brought to a still lackluster conference. Once Dean Crawford showed up everything went fast and before he knew it Coach Winslow was called on for a few words. Though unprepared he stumbled through a sentence or two about the name and colors and what they meant. It was as he finished his remarks that he realized it was a "press conference" and he might have to answer some questions.