08-07-2022, 11:45 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-07-2022, 11:45 AM by dude_man. Edited 1 time in total.)
Cade Williams looked out past his back deck of his house. With the end of the season approaching, Cade has got a lot of miles on his body. Playing the lineman position is no joke, especially playing both sides in the same career. But with him finally accepting that it’s time to move on, he is looking to play his last season with the Hahalua for S37. His wife, Julia, has been looking forward to his retirement from the ISFL. Obviously she hates to see him lay his body out on the line every Sunday, but she knows it’s also a necessary evil. She’s looking forward to when she can have the whole family together everyday as they raise their 8 year old son REDACTED 2. Julia’s worried that he’ll take after his father, but she also doesn’t want to restrict him with whatever he decides to do with his life. So the best she can do is to encourage him to do something that he wants to do, but also letting him know of the potential dangers.
They both met in his rookie season with the New Orleans Second Line. He was recommended this coffee shop by a teammate to study the playbook because he was struggling at first trying to do it at home. Cade would often be distracted through video games or even movies or television. His wife would often go there to study during college, and they just so happen to study at the same time. When Cade had seen Julia, it was the typical love at first sight, and from then on, he found a second reason to go to the coffee shop. The running joke was that he left his home from any distractions to go and find another distraction from his now wife.
She would often help him with what blocking assignments he needed to do and work on. It made no sense to her, but she knew that it helped him and that was all that mattered to her. Football was never a thing for her, and she knew the dangers that came with it, but the person she was with when he was with her, made sure to not include football 24/7. Although that’s much more difficult to do rather than to say. Julia stuck with him through and through with all of his decisions, even saying that being traded would help him in the long run. She was always supportive, but also knew that shooting for the stars can also let you down, so she was always real with him. Once he talked about retirement, she would have to hide her excitement, but always support him in whatever or more so whenever he decided to go through with it.
While this isn’t a true goodbye for him yet, Cade knows that it’ll be difficult to accept reality as the coming days get closer. Having countless teammates as friends and support has been a relief and rather a therapy everyday he’s out on the field. He’s accomplished all he wanted, and all he needed. Being a team player, stats were never a focus. Sure, he wanted to feel like he contributed, but it was never a mindset to be the absolute best. It’s a team sport at the end of the day. There’s 22 other players that need to make an impact, and to him, having 22 other guys that can fill their role to the best of their ability was all he was hoping for.
During his NOLA tenure, he felt like the old guy looking in. As time went on, he started getting older and older as the team he knew kept getting younger and younger. It was never a bad thing, but it felt odd to him. With that, the team didn’t feel as if they were progressing enough, and he wanted to go where playoff success was more apparent as his time in the league kept dwindling. He wanted to be too early rather than too late, but with how everything had worked out, it was right on time.
After Cade met with the GM’s, it was in both parties’ interest to see if a trade could be made. One, because Cade was getting older, and he knew this. Two, the upcoming draft class was deep and if they were to get good value, it would help NOLA’s chances of a rebuild and honestly take them to another level. With the offers in hand, NOLA decided to take Honolulu’s offer after input from the rest of the team as well as input from Cade. After the offer was accepted, Cade was on the next plane to Honolulu.
While he was at the airport, Cade felt somber about what happened. Was it the right move that he made? Did he mess up? All the friends and acquaintances he knew, would never be the same. The last 7 years have been with them, and now, it’s onto the next phase or stage in his career. It would be something he’d reflect on the remaining season with the Hahalua. He tried to brush it off once the plane departed but it was on his mind constantly…
Once he got off the plane, Cade was greeted by the PR team and the GM’s for the Hahalua. He felt welcomed and was looking forward to meeting the rest of the team and starting getting into training and learning the playbook. The season would go by in a flash for Cade. After a 1-2 start with his new team, the Hahalua would finish the season undefeated the rest of the way, even clinching the #1 seed. Once it got to the playoffs, the Hahalua had to beat the Outlaws to advance to the championship. The Hahalua would beat the Outlaws 26-20. Cade scored a sack and he realized that they were one game away from clinching the championship he longed for.
After the game, he headed back to the hotel where he was staying. A lot of his teammates went to party and celebrate, but Cade was too “distracted” or rather focused on the next game. The moment he was waiting for since joining the ISFL has come. With everything that’s happened, Cade being convinced to play Offensive Lineman, to him quitting school to care for his mom, to now a game away from the Championship. It was just too surreal for him. He called his dad, and he picked up his phone right away. They reminisced about Cade’s mom. His dad talked about how happy he was for him and how proud he is of him. Cade teared up obviously. This was an emotional moment for everyone but at most for Cade. He did whatever he could to make his parents proud and wanted to do right by them. He wished he heard it from his mother, but he also accepted that she would be so proud of him and what he’s accomplished. Cade’s father encouraged Cade to speak to his little brother REDACTED 1. Cade wasn’t sure about it, but his father was adamant about it. “It wouldn’t kill you, so just do it okay?” After that, they said their goodbyes and Cade decided to call his little brother after that.
Cade and his brother REDACTED 1 didn’t have the greatest relationship growing up. Mostly because REDACTED 1 was 7 years younger than him, and he was about 8 when their mother passed away. Cade tried being there for him, but it didn’t always work out. From what Cade would inquire from his dad about, he would say REDACTED 1 was into football 24/7. He carried himself with a chip on his shoulder. REDACTED 1 would get lots of praise that his brother was Cade Williams, but he didn’t want any of that. He didn’t want any handouts. REDACTED 1 was going to make sure he lived up to the hype and then some. In high school, REDACTED 1 was playing multiple positions for his football team. From QB to S and everything in between, he was good at everything. But most people didn’t think good was good enough for him. And that made him scary to the opponents he would face. He made it a point to destroy the competition in front of him. A lot of rumors swirled that he had no “soul” to him, and that it didn’t seem fair to play against someone like that.
REDACTED 1 doesn’t remember a lot of the events that took place when their mother was dying. It feels like a dream and a nightmare rolled into one, and REDACTED 1 tried not to think about it. Their dad would often joke with him about being more machine than man, but REDACTED 1 didn’t always take kindly to that remark. Everything he did in all reality was basically business for him. While that wasn’t terrible, he didn’t make very many friends taking that approach, so he would often ask his dad to help him with it. Their dad even recommended REDACTED 1 talk to his brother to see how he overcame a lot of the issues he faced during football, on and off the field. REDACTED 1 would often be hesitant about it, he felt that Cade didn’t know what he faced. At least Cade has countless memories with their mom, and all he has are fuzzy snippets from when he was a child. But he also realized that he’d never get the help he needed to take that next step in football. Most teams don’t want to deal with a headache, especially if you’re not good enough to stay on the football field. As of late however, REDACTED 1’s desperation to please potential football coaches became more apparent, and if he was ever going to make amends, it should be now. REDACTED 1 considered calling Cade the night that Cade talked to their father. Unbeknownst to him, he was about to get the call he was hoping for.
Once Cade called, he became real with REDACTED 1. He apologized for not always being there for him as he was growing up, but that he would try to do whatever he could to make sure he tried now. REDACTED 1 appreciated the call and that he would also do better in reaching out. Cade then told him that he and their dad will be flying over to the game and that he looks forward to seeing him then. They left it at that, and Cade felt like things would actually change for the better. Cade felt like they broke down a barrier that was there that should've never been there in the first place. He was looking forward to having a true brother he can talk to and see grow up.
As the upcoming week played out, Cade never trained harder or more intense than the week leading to the championship. All of his teammates were impressed with the work ethic he was showing and it was an extra motivation for them to take what they thought was theirs. The day before the championship, it’s usually a walk through. Don’t want to injure any of the players before the big day. Before we left practice, the QB for Honolulu Dexter Zaylren led a pep talk. He said to take care of your business. Not everyone gets a chance to play in 2 championships, let alone 1. And to look out for each other and help one another during these times. After that, we departed.
Cade didn’t feel well coming into the game. He was pretty sure he ate something wonky, but maybe it was just the nerves. Regardless, he stayed focused on the game. Before the team walked out, Cade called his middle school coach up. Coach Johnson was watching the pregame show when Cade called him. Cade just asked if there was anything he could do to stay focused on the game. Coach Johnson told him he already knew what he needed to do, and that there wouldn’t be anything he could say that would help him. But he would support him no matter the outcome of the game.
Once the call was over, Cade walked out on the field with the team. It was a surreal moment for him knowing that he made it. This was it. Everything he had worked for, endured for, was right here. As the game was going on, you can tell the Hahalua was on another level over the Hawks. The experience, and this type of atmosphere is what they had prepared since the Ultimus loss last season, and they made sure that they were going to capitalize on it. On the second to last play, Cade secured a sack against them, ensuring that he averaged a sack a game during the playoff run. Once the clock had struck 0:00 in the 4th, everyone was celebrating. But in the middle of all the chaos was Cade, sitting on the Ultimus logo. He was crying. And then he felt a bump of pressure on his shoulder pad. It was his son REDACTED 2, celebrating with his dad that he won the championship. He picked him up and started looking up at all the remaining confetti that was dropping. Once he leveled his eyes, he saw his dad and REDACTED 1 behind Julia, about 10 yards away from him, and Julia just smirked at him. With that look on her face, he knew that she knew. It’s gonna happen sooner rather than later.
After the season was over, Cade took the time to really spend time with his family. As each passing day went, it became harder to accept the fact he would leave them again. Julia could tell that it was also becoming more difficult for him, and she would often say to “do what you need to do and that you can come back to us”. That hit home for Cade at times, and he would thank her and she would leave him be. It was never a bad thing to him when she did that, but usually he has to contemplate for a bit so he can comprehend and process things. It’s a “side effect” if you will since his mom passed away.
However, this time was different. During the 2051 season, Cade asked Julia to sit down with him. Usually he’s never this dramatic, but he felt this was an announcement worth speaking to her about. Once her full attention was on him, he spoke the words she was waiting for. “One more season”. She wasn’t expecting it, but it wasn’t a total shock. The signs were there, but she had been accustomed to his football life, and to tell her one more season left of this, would be a life changer on the opposite end of the spectrum. But in all reality she’s ready for the change. Cade looked like he was about to break down, but Julia told him that it’s alright and that they were both ready for this change. He was relieved to hear that response and they hugged. They broke the news to REDACTED 2 and he was super excited to have his dad around the house more often.
After that discussion with his wife, Cade had a more peaceful outlook in football and life. He was worried about the toll it may take on him, but he forgot the biggest thing when making a decision like that, the unconditional support from his family, and he had plenty of that with him. After his most recent practice, REDACTED 2 asked his dad if he could play catch with him, and of course he couldn’t say no to him. While they were playing around and joking around, Julia was watching over them. She couldn’t keep her beaming smile away. This would be what she had envisioned for the rest of their lives, and she can’t wait to see it happen every day.
They both met in his rookie season with the New Orleans Second Line. He was recommended this coffee shop by a teammate to study the playbook because he was struggling at first trying to do it at home. Cade would often be distracted through video games or even movies or television. His wife would often go there to study during college, and they just so happen to study at the same time. When Cade had seen Julia, it was the typical love at first sight, and from then on, he found a second reason to go to the coffee shop. The running joke was that he left his home from any distractions to go and find another distraction from his now wife.
She would often help him with what blocking assignments he needed to do and work on. It made no sense to her, but she knew that it helped him and that was all that mattered to her. Football was never a thing for her, and she knew the dangers that came with it, but the person she was with when he was with her, made sure to not include football 24/7. Although that’s much more difficult to do rather than to say. Julia stuck with him through and through with all of his decisions, even saying that being traded would help him in the long run. She was always supportive, but also knew that shooting for the stars can also let you down, so she was always real with him. Once he talked about retirement, she would have to hide her excitement, but always support him in whatever or more so whenever he decided to go through with it.
While this isn’t a true goodbye for him yet, Cade knows that it’ll be difficult to accept reality as the coming days get closer. Having countless teammates as friends and support has been a relief and rather a therapy everyday he’s out on the field. He’s accomplished all he wanted, and all he needed. Being a team player, stats were never a focus. Sure, he wanted to feel like he contributed, but it was never a mindset to be the absolute best. It’s a team sport at the end of the day. There’s 22 other players that need to make an impact, and to him, having 22 other guys that can fill their role to the best of their ability was all he was hoping for.
During his NOLA tenure, he felt like the old guy looking in. As time went on, he started getting older and older as the team he knew kept getting younger and younger. It was never a bad thing, but it felt odd to him. With that, the team didn’t feel as if they were progressing enough, and he wanted to go where playoff success was more apparent as his time in the league kept dwindling. He wanted to be too early rather than too late, but with how everything had worked out, it was right on time.
After Cade met with the GM’s, it was in both parties’ interest to see if a trade could be made. One, because Cade was getting older, and he knew this. Two, the upcoming draft class was deep and if they were to get good value, it would help NOLA’s chances of a rebuild and honestly take them to another level. With the offers in hand, NOLA decided to take Honolulu’s offer after input from the rest of the team as well as input from Cade. After the offer was accepted, Cade was on the next plane to Honolulu.
While he was at the airport, Cade felt somber about what happened. Was it the right move that he made? Did he mess up? All the friends and acquaintances he knew, would never be the same. The last 7 years have been with them, and now, it’s onto the next phase or stage in his career. It would be something he’d reflect on the remaining season with the Hahalua. He tried to brush it off once the plane departed but it was on his mind constantly…
Once he got off the plane, Cade was greeted by the PR team and the GM’s for the Hahalua. He felt welcomed and was looking forward to meeting the rest of the team and starting getting into training and learning the playbook. The season would go by in a flash for Cade. After a 1-2 start with his new team, the Hahalua would finish the season undefeated the rest of the way, even clinching the #1 seed. Once it got to the playoffs, the Hahalua had to beat the Outlaws to advance to the championship. The Hahalua would beat the Outlaws 26-20. Cade scored a sack and he realized that they were one game away from clinching the championship he longed for.
After the game, he headed back to the hotel where he was staying. A lot of his teammates went to party and celebrate, but Cade was too “distracted” or rather focused on the next game. The moment he was waiting for since joining the ISFL has come. With everything that’s happened, Cade being convinced to play Offensive Lineman, to him quitting school to care for his mom, to now a game away from the Championship. It was just too surreal for him. He called his dad, and he picked up his phone right away. They reminisced about Cade’s mom. His dad talked about how happy he was for him and how proud he is of him. Cade teared up obviously. This was an emotional moment for everyone but at most for Cade. He did whatever he could to make his parents proud and wanted to do right by them. He wished he heard it from his mother, but he also accepted that she would be so proud of him and what he’s accomplished. Cade’s father encouraged Cade to speak to his little brother REDACTED 1. Cade wasn’t sure about it, but his father was adamant about it. “It wouldn’t kill you, so just do it okay?” After that, they said their goodbyes and Cade decided to call his little brother after that.
Cade and his brother REDACTED 1 didn’t have the greatest relationship growing up. Mostly because REDACTED 1 was 7 years younger than him, and he was about 8 when their mother passed away. Cade tried being there for him, but it didn’t always work out. From what Cade would inquire from his dad about, he would say REDACTED 1 was into football 24/7. He carried himself with a chip on his shoulder. REDACTED 1 would get lots of praise that his brother was Cade Williams, but he didn’t want any of that. He didn’t want any handouts. REDACTED 1 was going to make sure he lived up to the hype and then some. In high school, REDACTED 1 was playing multiple positions for his football team. From QB to S and everything in between, he was good at everything. But most people didn’t think good was good enough for him. And that made him scary to the opponents he would face. He made it a point to destroy the competition in front of him. A lot of rumors swirled that he had no “soul” to him, and that it didn’t seem fair to play against someone like that.
REDACTED 1 doesn’t remember a lot of the events that took place when their mother was dying. It feels like a dream and a nightmare rolled into one, and REDACTED 1 tried not to think about it. Their dad would often joke with him about being more machine than man, but REDACTED 1 didn’t always take kindly to that remark. Everything he did in all reality was basically business for him. While that wasn’t terrible, he didn’t make very many friends taking that approach, so he would often ask his dad to help him with it. Their dad even recommended REDACTED 1 talk to his brother to see how he overcame a lot of the issues he faced during football, on and off the field. REDACTED 1 would often be hesitant about it, he felt that Cade didn’t know what he faced. At least Cade has countless memories with their mom, and all he has are fuzzy snippets from when he was a child. But he also realized that he’d never get the help he needed to take that next step in football. Most teams don’t want to deal with a headache, especially if you’re not good enough to stay on the football field. As of late however, REDACTED 1’s desperation to please potential football coaches became more apparent, and if he was ever going to make amends, it should be now. REDACTED 1 considered calling Cade the night that Cade talked to their father. Unbeknownst to him, he was about to get the call he was hoping for.
Once Cade called, he became real with REDACTED 1. He apologized for not always being there for him as he was growing up, but that he would try to do whatever he could to make sure he tried now. REDACTED 1 appreciated the call and that he would also do better in reaching out. Cade then told him that he and their dad will be flying over to the game and that he looks forward to seeing him then. They left it at that, and Cade felt like things would actually change for the better. Cade felt like they broke down a barrier that was there that should've never been there in the first place. He was looking forward to having a true brother he can talk to and see grow up.
As the upcoming week played out, Cade never trained harder or more intense than the week leading to the championship. All of his teammates were impressed with the work ethic he was showing and it was an extra motivation for them to take what they thought was theirs. The day before the championship, it’s usually a walk through. Don’t want to injure any of the players before the big day. Before we left practice, the QB for Honolulu Dexter Zaylren led a pep talk. He said to take care of your business. Not everyone gets a chance to play in 2 championships, let alone 1. And to look out for each other and help one another during these times. After that, we departed.
Cade didn’t feel well coming into the game. He was pretty sure he ate something wonky, but maybe it was just the nerves. Regardless, he stayed focused on the game. Before the team walked out, Cade called his middle school coach up. Coach Johnson was watching the pregame show when Cade called him. Cade just asked if there was anything he could do to stay focused on the game. Coach Johnson told him he already knew what he needed to do, and that there wouldn’t be anything he could say that would help him. But he would support him no matter the outcome of the game.
Once the call was over, Cade walked out on the field with the team. It was a surreal moment for him knowing that he made it. This was it. Everything he had worked for, endured for, was right here. As the game was going on, you can tell the Hahalua was on another level over the Hawks. The experience, and this type of atmosphere is what they had prepared since the Ultimus loss last season, and they made sure that they were going to capitalize on it. On the second to last play, Cade secured a sack against them, ensuring that he averaged a sack a game during the playoff run. Once the clock had struck 0:00 in the 4th, everyone was celebrating. But in the middle of all the chaos was Cade, sitting on the Ultimus logo. He was crying. And then he felt a bump of pressure on his shoulder pad. It was his son REDACTED 2, celebrating with his dad that he won the championship. He picked him up and started looking up at all the remaining confetti that was dropping. Once he leveled his eyes, he saw his dad and REDACTED 1 behind Julia, about 10 yards away from him, and Julia just smirked at him. With that look on her face, he knew that she knew. It’s gonna happen sooner rather than later.
After the season was over, Cade took the time to really spend time with his family. As each passing day went, it became harder to accept the fact he would leave them again. Julia could tell that it was also becoming more difficult for him, and she would often say to “do what you need to do and that you can come back to us”. That hit home for Cade at times, and he would thank her and she would leave him be. It was never a bad thing to him when she did that, but usually he has to contemplate for a bit so he can comprehend and process things. It’s a “side effect” if you will since his mom passed away.
However, this time was different. During the 2051 season, Cade asked Julia to sit down with him. Usually he’s never this dramatic, but he felt this was an announcement worth speaking to her about. Once her full attention was on him, he spoke the words she was waiting for. “One more season”. She wasn’t expecting it, but it wasn’t a total shock. The signs were there, but she had been accustomed to his football life, and to tell her one more season left of this, would be a life changer on the opposite end of the spectrum. But in all reality she’s ready for the change. Cade looked like he was about to break down, but Julia told him that it’s alright and that they were both ready for this change. He was relieved to hear that response and they hugged. They broke the news to REDACTED 2 and he was super excited to have his dad around the house more often.
After that discussion with his wife, Cade had a more peaceful outlook in football and life. He was worried about the toll it may take on him, but he forgot the biggest thing when making a decision like that, the unconditional support from his family, and he had plenty of that with him. After his most recent practice, REDACTED 2 asked his dad if he could play catch with him, and of course he couldn’t say no to him. While they were playing around and joking around, Julia was watching over them. She couldn’t keep her beaming smile away. This would be what she had envisioned for the rest of their lives, and she can’t wait to see it happen every day.