In America, the winner takes all.

Chapter 300: Make up for the mistakes, the game that must be won (12)

Old Jones came when the team encountered a major public controversy, and the first one was naturally to investigate the scandal.

There is actually nothing to investigate about the whole matter. Just pick up any newspaper from the past two days and it will all contain relevant evidence. It can be said that the facts are clear and the chain of evidence is complete. What Old Jones should consider more is how to punish these players. Serve as a warning to others.

After thinking about it for a while, Ethan had already guessed the reason why Old Jones asked him to go there.

"Lead the way." Ethan nodded to Old Jones' men.

For a top-rich American like Jones Sr., the place where he dines is obviously inconsistent with his status. It is actually a Papa John's near the arena.

There were many diners in the restaurant at this time. Old Jones was sitting in an inconspicuous corner, looking like an inconspicuous customer. If Ethan hadn’t seen two bulletproof cars parked in front of the restaurant and several people outside the restaurant, The black-clothed security personnel hovering on alert would surely think that they were leading the other party the wrong way.

"I like to come here for pizza. Last month I reached an agreement with John Schneider. I will hold 49% of the shares of Texas Papa John's. In exchange, Papa John's will have deep brand binding with the Cowboys. All Cowboys' home stadiums Papa John’s pizza is sold at every game.”

Old Jones said as he asked Ethan to sit down.

The booth was a bit cramped, and Ethan was very close to old Jones, and he could see the obvious wrinkles on his face and his graying hair.

After acquiring the Cowboys at the age of 60, Jones is still less than 92 years old. Although he can't hide his old age, he is very energetic. This reminds Ethan of the long-term standby Murdoch, who only stepped down as chairman of News Corporation at the age of 52. His eldest son, the heir, was already 33 years old at that time. Charlotte is only years old this year.

It seems that there is no need for the three brothers and sisters to fight over each other now.

But then again, it wasn't until a decade later that Charlotte had begun to take on more positions in the NFL, which just proved that she had been silently excluded from the Cowboys' core power.

"Before we officially start today's conversation, I want to tell you a story." Old Jones put the half-eaten pizza on the plate and grabbed the napkin with his hand.

Ethan nodded, when your boss tells you something, it's best to be a patient listener.

"About thirty years ago, I was a member of the Arkansas Razorbacks. My position on the field was running back. Because of my height, this was the only position I was qualified for. Unfortunately, I only played for one season. The Razorbacks suffered a terrible loss that season, and after the last game of the season, I didn't talk to anyone and walked silently to the locker room to pack my bags."

"I knew at that time that although I loved the game, I was not a qualified player at all. At that time, my father owned an insurance company in Arkansas. I had lived a life of poverty all my life. Know that money can buy you a sports car and shiny clothes, but it can’t buy you the victory of the moment.”

"From that moment on, an idea came to my mind - I must buy an NFL team in this life."

"After graduating from college, I launched several unsuccessful businesses, opened restaurants, and sold insurance. Until the 80s, I founded Jones Oil in Arkansas, explored and operated oil fields, and also got involved in land leasing. It just happened in a flash. In the late s, at a Texas oil industry gathering, I heard Harvey Roberts Bright smoking a cigar and complaining about his money-losing football team, which was last in the league."

"But at that time, I didn't have the funds on hand. And Harvey Roberts Bright needed cash. That year, First Republic Bank, the largest bank in Texas, collapsed, and Harvey Roberts lost $2900 million. , he urgently needs some money to tide over the difficulties."

"The final negotiation was much more difficult than I imagined. After two months of back and forth, the final purchase price was US$1.4 million. This is the first time in human history that someone has purchased a team for more than US$ million. Excluding the stadium, the core asset is just a blue star pattern, in addition to which the Cowboys have to accept the debt originally signed and the player contracts."

"This is simply the stupidest business in the world. Everyone thinks I'm crazy, including my wife and three children."

"When I first took over, the team was losing $300 million a month, and I had to pay $100 million in interest every month. But it took me less than two years to turn the team around. , I fired almost the entire staff, and then we were lucky enough to take Troy and Emmitt out of the draft."

"Later, the Cowboys entered the Super Bowl four times in five years and won the cup three times. I was the first person to introduce sponsors based on the stadium. No one had done this before. Next, the Cowboys have to build this world. This is the most magnificent stadium in Texas. This is a local architectural miracle in Texas. We will also have our own sporting goods production factory and a complete sales network. These are all self-built systems of the Cowboys. The next step is to cooperate with local universities in Texas. , the next step is to gradually spread across the country. Time has proven everything, and now people realize that the value of the team does not lie in the team at all, but in the team brand."

"But all of this has the most basic foundation - a stable, large and loyal fan base." The old Jones changed his words in the next second.

"Fans can forgive players who have made mistakes, and they can comfort themselves for the team's failures, but they cannot accept a garbage team that is both failed and riddled with scandals." Old Jones shook his head.

He has received reliable news. In an internal meeting held not long ago, Paul Tagliabue has accepted Texas businessman Bob McNeil's proposal to establish an NFL team in Houston again.

"President" Paul Tagliabue did not choose Michael Ovitz, who had local support in Los Angeles, but the latter was planning to spend $7.5 million to build a new team in Los Angeles, and instead supported a real estate businessman from Houston.

The Cowboys just sent the Oilers away, and next year there will be a new team carving up the Texas market. Old Jones knew very well that this was coming at him. The previous negotiations with the NFL had completely angered the other party, and more than two-thirds of the other team owners also intended to weaken the Cowboys' market.

If the Cowboys continue like this, the fan base within Texas will be divided. All grand business plans are just castles in the air without a large customer base as a foundation.

"I think the fans may forget everything that just happened next week." Ethan suddenly spoke at this time.

"Young man, I'm not the same as a stubborn old man. I always pay attention to the current hot media and online channels. Not to mention what happened a few days ago, the mess within the Cowboys has been repeatedly mentioned by some fans in the past few years." Jones smiled bitterly.

"That's because they hope the team can make real changes, but the Cowboys have failed to do this. The fans will not care about what you do, they will only focus on the results and whether the Cowboys can win." Ethan said Something was wrong.

"In the next game, as long as we beat the Atlanta Falcons beautifully enough, the fans' crusade will be much lower. You just mentioned that the foundation of the team is the fans. Without the three championships in the previous five years, the Oilers Not moving out of Texas.”

Professional sports are winner-take-all. The winner gets more fans, extends more business projects, and gets funds to feed the team to improve performance, thus forming a virtuous cycle.

"You see clearly, so you think I should pardon certain players?" Old Jones tried to ask.

He did have such a plan. In fact, he just called those who were not involved in the scandal to come to him, mostly to appease them. Major issues to minor ones out.

But he only told Ethan a lot of past events.

Although he didn't reveal it openly, he really valued Ethan very much. Ethan's previous performances have proven his potential.

Old Jones showed Ethan a huge follow-up plan. In the final analysis, it was to make Ethan interested in staying in the team.

"No, why give up the opponent's penalty now? The knife hanging around your neck is the sharpest. Today, the results of the investigation will be announced to the players and told them that it will be official after the Atlanta Falcons game. Announce the punishment plan." Ethan gave advice to the elder Jones.

Old Jones narrowed his eyes, looked at Ethan carefully, and then suddenly grinned.

"If my son was as smart as you, these bad things wouldn't happen to the Cowboys, and I wouldn't need to deal with it myself." Jones sighed.

"What you just said gave me many inspirations, and this is one of them." In front of the boss, Ethan naturally did not miss any opportunity to blow a rainbow fart.

"What other revelations have you received? Tell me." Old Jones became interested and found it quite useful.

"If you have a choice, it's best to choose a university with strong rugby."

"My vision is indeed not as good as yours in this regard." Old Jones did not deny it.

"That's not a bad thing, otherwise Texas fans would have been crying secretly for the past ten years."

·

When training started in the afternoon, Ethan realized that he was actually the last one called over by Jones.

After the day's training, the players came to the large conference room. As expected, Jones followed Ethan's suggestion and said that a detailed punishment and investigation report would be released after the Atlanta game.

It's almost like the famous brand gave the players a chance to make up for their mistakes. The most excited person is Billy. As the number one "war criminal", he has even made preparations to be expelled from the team. He hasn't even slept well in the past few days.

When he sensed that things were about to turn around, he felt like he was getting a shot of blood. After the meeting, he asked to continue training.

His proposal immediately received a response from a group of "criminals". Ethan originally wanted to go home early, but Catherine came to Dallas from San Antonio today.

But considering the current situation of the team, we could only make a phone call first.

Late at night, in the arena, which had been deserted in the past, there were a group of strong men sweating profusely. Not only Ethan, but also Emmett, who was currently the best poker player in the team, volunteered to stay. With these two people taking the lead, it was naturally impossible for the training team members to stay. reject.

Halfway through the extra training, John, who was responsible for managing the protective gear, shouted to get off work, so everyone took off their protective gear, leaving only their helmets, and started sparring without contact.

"Look over there, is this the new female staff member? She looks really good."

"Maybe it's a fanatical female fan? Do you want to rush over and ask for the phone?"

During a short training break, several team members gathered together to discuss the woman who suddenly appeared on the sidelines of the court not far away.

"Idiot, there are no staff at this point. Even the fans are here for the quarterback. Didn't you see the eyes of others looking at Ethan?"

The team member who spoke first suddenly woke up from his dream and almost went over to strike up a conversation.

Ethan also noticed her at this time, and she walked towards Ethan at this time.

"If there are reporters present, maybe the fans' anger will calm down a little." The woman who was so beautiful that people couldn't bear to blink said to Ethan and several players around him.

Several teammates, you look at me, I look at you, for fear of saying the wrong thing, they didn't dare to speak immediately.

Catherine watched the reactions of Ethan's teammates, and finally turned her attention to Ethan.

"Sure enough, you haven't introduced me to my teammates." Catherine reasoned out the result, quite like she was going to accuse him, and there was a hint of complaint in her tone.

Before Ethan could speak, Billy reacted quickly and said: "Ethan, your wife is much more beautiful than in the photo!"

"That's right, Ethan praised his wife for being beautiful before, but I didn't believe it anyway. Now, I have to admit that Ethan must have saved the world in his previous life." Another teammate also quickly made up for it.

At this time, the other team members all reacted and collectively said hello to Catherine.

Including Emmitt Smith, the team's number one star, also greeted Katherine and called her Mrs. O'Connor.

Only then did Catherine realize that she had misunderstood, and her attitude softened slightly.

"Why are you here? The extra training is about to end." Ethan stepped forward at this time.

"I was bored, so I casually walked downstairs. I arrived at the arena while walking, so I stopped by to take a look. There was no one at the door at this time, so I came in without any obstruction." Catherine explained.

I walked to the arena. My apartment was indeed very close to the arena, but it was a bit too coincidental...

Originally, the training was almost over, but seeing that Ethan's wife was getting impatient, the other team members simply ended tonight's extra training.

"What do you want to eat tonight?" Ethan asked casually as Catherine was driving back.

"I bought some food this afternoon and put it in your refrigerator. It's your favorite rib eye."

Ethan drove directly towards home.

"I haven't tasted your craftsmanship for so long, I almost forgot what it tastes like." Ethan's mouth watered when he thought of this.

The team's nutritionist prescribed detailed recipes for Ethan. For the sake of competitive status, Ethan could only bear the pain and give up. No matter what, he had to break the habit today.

"I'll let you eat as much as you want tonight, and eat me too." Catherine reached under the steering wheel with one hand, aiming directly at the vital point.

They are now an old couple, and as they grow older, Catherine is no longer the girl who needs to "do her homework", and her behavior naturally becomes more and more seductive.

It seemed that Ethan was not the only one who was hungry.

During the meal, Catherine took out several developed photos from her bag.

Those are the children of two people. The little guy in the picture has already entered kindergarten this year. It's shameful to say that Ethan barely fulfilled his responsibilities as a father because he only cared about having children but not raising children. Of course, he couldn't be vague about money either.

Catherine, who was full of food and wine and was slightly drunk, lay in Ethan's arms. Ethan gently stroked her hair and looked down at Catherine.

"Sorry, Catherine, I can't live with you like a normal couple." Ethan suddenly said this.

"What if I don't call you more? You are a bison, I can't stand it alone." Catherine stroked Ethan's chest and giggled, not caring at all.

Catherine would say this, in addition to this reason, the more important reason is that she does not want Ethan to blame himself.

"And to be honest, a big family is always more lively than a few people. It should be fun when you get older. Isn't what I said a little bit beyond your expectations?"

"Several of my young colleagues are actually divorced. The seven-year itch and all that. Any good love becomes fragile in the face of time. Instead of watching you gradually become cold to me, I would rather make you feel guilty all the time. Keep living so that the shelf life of love can be longer." Catherine pinched Ethan's nose.

Catherine is really "transparent", and probably only open-minded European and American people would think this way.

"In addition, the person you should thank the most is Mia. She is really busy. She often calls and travels with them." When Catherine talked about Mia during this period, the smile on her face became even bigger. .

This is actually Ethan's arrangement. He can't schedule shifts every week, right? It just so happened that Mia had entered semi-retirement, so she asked her mother-in-law to do the hard work for her. Ethan originally just mentioned it casually, but unexpectedly Mia was still enjoying it. Now there is no need for Ethan to take the initiative to speak.

"And Lisa, she also keeps in touch with models, including Charlize Theron."

After Catherine mentioned it, Ethan realized that he hadn't seen Lisa for a while.

·

At the same time, a Bombardier Global 600 small business flight landed at a private airport in Dallas.

Lisa and Susan, dressed like Hollywood stars, stepped off the plane and came without warning. Naturally, they were planning to give Ethan a surprise. They also wanted to see if this scumbag had gained anything new in Dallas...

(End of this chapter)