Chapter One
The Athletic Director looked at the resume for the fiftieth time and, try as he might, could find nothing to dislike about Jacob “Jake” Goodman. He had the brains, a commendable service record in the Marines, good looks and came from a solid family. If only there was a giant red flag that popped out – then he’d have a reason to not hire the kid. That would make life a lot easier, since he would have loved to use the Sports Information Director job opening to pay back one of the many favors that needed paying back.
As it was, Jake Goodman was the only son of one of the top financial backers of Lincoln State University. And when it came to doing favors for large donors to university athletics, money didn’t just talk – it shouted.
Turning back to Jake Goodman’s resume, he ticked off the points. Goodman had a degree in journalism from good old Lincoln State, so he was an alumnus. Not a necessity but a strong point in his favor. Jake was white, and although the Athletic Director would deny it with his last breath, there was no way he was hiring anyone of color into a responsible position in the athletic department. In the little corner of the university that Harvey Elwood ruled, the color of authority was lily white and that’s how Harvey planned to keep it.
Harvey sighed loudly as he pictured what would happen if he backed another candidate. Jake’s father would go crying straight to the Board of Trustees and Harvey would make a fool out himself trying to defend any other choice. Jake Goodman had an immaculate background and was qualified enough that his father’s clout pushed him to the top of the heap for the Sports Information Director position.
The Athletic Director had even gone so far as to hire (with cash so there wouldn’t be a trail) a private eye who he sometimes used for discrete dirt-digging. The P.I. came up empty. In fact, the investigative report was so boring that it almost put him to sleep. This kid was a straight arrow – not so much as a speeding ticket. Since Jake had returned from his tour of duty in Iraq three months earlier, he behaved like a priest. He drank an occasional beer now and then, but when he found himself at a party where weed and coke came out he politely declined and found a reason to leave early.
There was no question. When it came down to it, no other candidate matched up nearly as well as Jake Goodman. Harvey was stuck, and he would be unable to pay back any favors with this hire.
Harvey was about to let out another sigh when there was a knock on his door. “Come in!” he shouted. It was Molly Bennett, the dyke who managed the women’s side of the athletic department. The athletic department was split in two, with two Assistant Directors. One was responsible for men’s sports and one for women’s sports, and both reported to Harvey. Although he and Molly didn’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, he respected her because she was a very competent administrator, a quality that was sorely needed on the women’s sports side of the department. It took a hard-nose like Molly to stretch miniscule budgets and build support for sports that didn’t draw flies when it came to paid attendance.
“So, how is it going with the Sports Information Director position?” Molly asked, “Have you made a decision?”
Harvey slid Jake’s resume across his spacious mahogany desk toward her. “Here’s our man – Jake Goodman. He’s the offspring of Stan Goodman, one of Lincoln State’s biggest contributors.”
Molly scanned the resume quickly while she mumbled. “Hmmm…degree from Lincoln State, good…war hero, huh? That’ll sit well with our older alum…I see he did a couple of internships with the Peoria Journal-Star and the WICS-TV sports department here in Springfield. That will help. Not as much experience as I’d like to see, but he looks like a decent choice, Harvey. Let’s get him on the payroll so we can start getting some stuff in the paper about women’s soccer. The season starts in a few weeks and it’s one of my only sports that actually sells a few tickets.”
