Chapter 37. The Day

The Day

"Are you serious?" Martin asked in amazement. "You really died and saw yourself on the floor? For real?"

"Yes, Martin," said Coach Ken. "I really died."

"Did you see the light?" Martin asked. "You always hear about people seeing the light when they die and come back to life."

"No, I didn't see any light. But I heard a voice. A loud, clear, booming voice that said, Why are you persecuting my men? Stop condemning them. Stop bringing them down. Lift them up. Speak truth into them. Bring out the best in them.

"Next thing I know I'm in a hospital room and the doctors tell me that I had died for 20 minutes. No brain damage. No heart problem. Nothing, except a craving for fish tacos. Hard to believe, huh?"

"Yeah," Martin said.

"They called it a miracle. From then on I was like a new person. I felt different. I had always felt like I was in the first quarter of my life and I had three-quarters to go. After The Day I felt that I needed to live my life as if it was the fourth quarter, because I wasn't sure when the game was going to end. I knew it was time to change my ways and the ways I coached. I was a 300-pound jerk who never said one positive word to the players. I expected them to play the game the way I did, and so I coached the way I was coached. But after The Day, I knew I couldn't run people over any more. Instead I needed to invite them on my bus. I needed to bring ...

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