Gauntlet - Week 3
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer: Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast :
William Fichtner, Josh Duhamel, Trevor Jackson, Eric Roberts, John David
Washington, Saffron Burrows, Kat Graham, B.D. Wong and Xzibit
Plot: It's the 4th quarter of the Memphis Pharaoh's Week 2 game against the St. Louis Scouts. Memphis is down 3-7 with 4 minutes left in the game. Quarterback Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) hands the ball off to rookie running back Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson), who quickly fumbles the ball upon first contact with the defense. The commentators announce that it was Thomas' fourth fumble of the game. Pharaohs Head Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) pulls Thomas out of the game in disgust. He inserts injured veteran running back Lincoln Tatum (John David Washington) into the game in his place. Thomas throws his helmet against the bench, shattering the helmet. Thomas then kicks over a jug of Gatorade. Coach Heath orders one of his assistants to get Thomas off his sideline. On the field, Collins fakes a screen pass to Tatum and takes the ball up the middle himself for a 15 yard gain and a first down. The clock is still clicking, Collins rushes the team to the line of scrimmage. Tatum is clearly having trouble keeping up with his injured knee, but he insists he is fine. Collins takes the ball and drops back. Tatum attempts to block a blitzing Scouts linebacker, but is taken clear off of his feet, and the Scouts sack Collins for a big loss. The clock is still running, so Collins tells everyone to hurry up. Suddenly Collins' radio feed from the coaches stops working. Unable to hear the play call and short on time, Collins calls the play from the line. He takes the ball, shakes off a couple defenders, and hits an open receiver in the end zone with a touchdown pass as time expires. Coach Heath sighs in relief. It may have been ugly, but his team managed a 9-7 victory over the St. Louis Scouts. Tatum walks off the field, clearly disappointed that he never saw the ball. It's a quieter locker room than one would expect following a win. Everyone is expecting Coach Heath to go ballistic on Thomas, but instead Heath doesn't mention Thomas, nor does he talk to him or even look at him.
The next morning, Tatum wakes up and his knee is very swollen despite his minimal playing time. Thomas wakes up, clearly having partied the night before. He does some cocaine and asks the woman in his bed to leave. Collins wakes up in the bed of Mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows). She reminds him that the Memphis tourism commercial she booked for him is shooting later that day. We get a glimpse as Coach Heath's spartan and minimalist house. Heath quietly makes himself a breakfast of eggs and a smoothie and sits down at his kitchen table and eats by himself. When he's done he washes his dishes and puts them back in the cabinet, revealing they're his only ones.
Tatum is at the gym working out, pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion. After his workout he approaches a gym employee, Jerome (Xzibit). They meet in the parking lot, where Jerome sells Tatum some anabolic steroids. Tatum starts taking the steroids in hopes that they will help his muscles recover for the Week 3 and their game on the road against the Los Angeles Royals. Collins is at city hall shooting the tourism commercial. He's not particularly good at reading his lines, however Mayor Matthews tells him he's doing great and that the commercial will be big for the city's tourism industry.
After practice on Tuesday there are murmurs throughout the Pharaoh's practice facility that the league will be doing random drug testing before their next game, selecting two players at random. Tatum worries that the piss test would uncover his recent use of steroids, while Thomas worries that it would reveal his drug use. Pharaohs owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts) comes down to the practice facility to tell Coach Heath that despite the league's drug testing being supposedly random, that he has learned which two players will be tested ahead of time: Tim Collins and Jefferson Thomas. Heath tells Palmer that he doesn't want to know that and goes back to reviewing game film on the Los Angeles Royals. Palmer goes up to Collins and Thomas in the locker room and advises them to avoid anything that could show up on a drug test Sunday morning before their game in California. Collins has nothing to worry about, but Thomas begins panicking.
Thomas talks to the team doctor Dr. Clifford Chen (B.D. Wong) about ways to detox his body, although he says it's to get alcohol out of his system faster rather than cocaine. Chen tells him that he cannot give him any professional opinion on that matter, but discreetly passes him a business card for another doctor. Thomas meets with a doctor who tells him that he can perform a simple surgery that would inject clean urine into his bladder in order to pass any urine analysis test. Thomas tells the doctor he has to think about it. The doctor advises him that since the next game is Sunday night, that the surgery would need to be performed Saturday right before the team flies out to California for their game. The doctor advises him that if Thomas can avoid any drugs up until the game, drinks high levels of water and can get himself to sweat enough, the drugs could be out of his system by Sunday.
Friday night, Thomas is trying his best to avoid the temptations of cocaine, but Nikki (Kat Graham) keeps blowing up his phone with calls and texts about what happened during their car accident. This distresses Thomas to the point that he does one line of cocaine. He then calls the doctor immediately, telling him that he'll be in for the procedure in the morning.
Sunday morning arrives and the Memphis Pharaohs are getting ready for their game in the visitor's locker room in Los Angeles. Collins and Thomas are called in to take a drug test. Once they return from taking their piss tests, Coach Heath announces that due to the events of their last game, Lincoln Tatum will be starting at running back instead of Thomas.
On the Pharaohs' first play of the game, Collins hands the ball off to Tatum, who drives the ball up the middle, breaking a tackle. Just as it looks like he will take it for a touchdown, the Los Angeles Royals strong safety manages to hit Tatum at the knee. Tatum, screams in agony, and drops the ball. The Royals recover the fumble and return it for a touchdown while Tatum is writhing on the ground, clutching his knee. Dr. Chen and his team rushes out onto the field. Dr. Chen looks over at Coach Heath and simply shakes his head. Heath then yells at Thomas, telling him to get loose and ready to go.
The next morning, Tatum wakes up and his knee is very swollen despite his minimal playing time. Thomas wakes up, clearly having partied the night before. He does some cocaine and asks the woman in his bed to leave. Collins wakes up in the bed of Mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows). She reminds him that the Memphis tourism commercial she booked for him is shooting later that day. We get a glimpse as Coach Heath's spartan and minimalist house. Heath quietly makes himself a breakfast of eggs and a smoothie and sits down at his kitchen table and eats by himself. When he's done he washes his dishes and puts them back in the cabinet, revealing they're his only ones.
Tatum is at the gym working out, pushing himself to the brink of exhaustion. After his workout he approaches a gym employee, Jerome (Xzibit). They meet in the parking lot, where Jerome sells Tatum some anabolic steroids. Tatum starts taking the steroids in hopes that they will help his muscles recover for the Week 3 and their game on the road against the Los Angeles Royals. Collins is at city hall shooting the tourism commercial. He's not particularly good at reading his lines, however Mayor Matthews tells him he's doing great and that the commercial will be big for the city's tourism industry.
After practice on Tuesday there are murmurs throughout the Pharaoh's practice facility that the league will be doing random drug testing before their next game, selecting two players at random. Tatum worries that the piss test would uncover his recent use of steroids, while Thomas worries that it would reveal his drug use. Pharaohs owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts) comes down to the practice facility to tell Coach Heath that despite the league's drug testing being supposedly random, that he has learned which two players will be tested ahead of time: Tim Collins and Jefferson Thomas. Heath tells Palmer that he doesn't want to know that and goes back to reviewing game film on the Los Angeles Royals. Palmer goes up to Collins and Thomas in the locker room and advises them to avoid anything that could show up on a drug test Sunday morning before their game in California. Collins has nothing to worry about, but Thomas begins panicking.
Thomas talks to the team doctor Dr. Clifford Chen (B.D. Wong) about ways to detox his body, although he says it's to get alcohol out of his system faster rather than cocaine. Chen tells him that he cannot give him any professional opinion on that matter, but discreetly passes him a business card for another doctor. Thomas meets with a doctor who tells him that he can perform a simple surgery that would inject clean urine into his bladder in order to pass any urine analysis test. Thomas tells the doctor he has to think about it. The doctor advises him that since the next game is Sunday night, that the surgery would need to be performed Saturday right before the team flies out to California for their game. The doctor advises him that if Thomas can avoid any drugs up until the game, drinks high levels of water and can get himself to sweat enough, the drugs could be out of his system by Sunday.
Friday night, Thomas is trying his best to avoid the temptations of cocaine, but Nikki (Kat Graham) keeps blowing up his phone with calls and texts about what happened during their car accident. This distresses Thomas to the point that he does one line of cocaine. He then calls the doctor immediately, telling him that he'll be in for the procedure in the morning.
Sunday morning arrives and the Memphis Pharaohs are getting ready for their game in the visitor's locker room in Los Angeles. Collins and Thomas are called in to take a drug test. Once they return from taking their piss tests, Coach Heath announces that due to the events of their last game, Lincoln Tatum will be starting at running back instead of Thomas.
On the Pharaohs' first play of the game, Collins hands the ball off to Tatum, who drives the ball up the middle, breaking a tackle. Just as it looks like he will take it for a touchdown, the Los Angeles Royals strong safety manages to hit Tatum at the knee. Tatum, screams in agony, and drops the ball. The Royals recover the fumble and return it for a touchdown while Tatum is writhing on the ground, clutching his knee. Dr. Chen and his team rushes out onto the field. Dr. Chen looks over at Coach Heath and simply shakes his head. Heath then yells at Thomas, telling him to get loose and ready to go.
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