Gauntlet - Week 9
Genre: Sports / Drama
Executive Producer: Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Matt Parker
Cast :
William Fichtner, Josh Duhamel, Trevor Jackson, Eric Roberts, Saffron Burrows, B.D. Wong, Jimmy Tatro and Clancy Brown
During the ninth game of the season, Memphis Pharaohs' quarterback Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) is hit hard in the head and taken to the bench to be tested for a concussion. The Pharaohs have a 3 point lead over the Detroit Diesels in the second quarter at the time of the injury. Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) sends backup quarterback Chase Kearney (Jimmy Tatro) into the game with the instruction to avoid mistakes and keep handing the ball off to star rookie running back Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson). They don't want a repeat of his pick-six from the last game.
On the sidelines team physician Dr. Clifford Chen (B.D. Wong) puts Collins through a concussion protocol test. Collins is clearly out of it and is having trouble successfully answering Dr. Chen's questions. Collins knows he is concussed, but asks Chen to tell them he is good to go so that he can get back out onto the field. Chen tells him that would be unethical, but Collins tells him not to give him that pitch. After all, Chen cleared Lincoln Tatum to play when his knee was clearly in no condition to be playing. Dr. Chen informs Coach Heath that Collins does not have a concussion and is cleared to return to the game.
Collins returns to the field to the roar of the home town crowd. His girlfriend, Memphis Mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows) watches from the owners box with Pharaohs' owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts). Matthews tells Palmer that the team's recent success bodes well for the stadium bond measure that is set to be voted on by the city council after the season. She is confident that she can convince the council to vote in his favor if the team performs well the rest of the season and goes on a nice playoff run, and of course if Palmer provides a hefty contribution to her bid for Governor of Tennessee.
Collins is clearly slow off the snap. He drops back and takes another hard hit to the head and fumbles the ball. A Detroit defender recovers the ball and takes it into the end zone for a touchdown. Following the play, Collins' vision is blurry. He starts jogging toward the wrong sideline and has to be directed to the other sideline by one of the officials. Coach Heath feels he has no choice but to pull Collins out of the game.
After the game, the media is in an uproar over Collins' obvious concussion. In a post-game interview, Coach Heath chalks up the team's loss to Detroit due to losing momentum after they had to take Collins out of the game. When questioned about why Collins re-entered the game following the first hit to the head, Heath tells the reporters that the medical staff informed him that Collins had passed the concussion protocol with no red flags.
Coach Heath and Leonard Palmer are called in to the AFA league offices in New York City to meet with the league's Commissioner Ted Watros (Clancy Brown). He informs them both that the league will be conducting an investigation into team's handling of Tim Collins' head injury. After the meeting, Heath and Palmer discuss the situation in the lobby. Palmer wants to know what happened, and Heath tells him that Dr. Chen told him he was cleared to play. Palmer says that he hopes the league ends up with the same findings and suggests they consider preemptively firing Chen to garner favor with Commissioner Watros. If they fire the doctor responsible, maybe the league won't fine the team or take away any draft picks. Heath doesn't like the idea of firing the team's primary physician this late into the season, but says he'll consider it and let him know what he decides.
Collins sits in bed with Sharon Matthews. He tells her that he isn't sure how many more big hits he can take any more. She tells him that he could always retire. He's had a long successful career and should have no problem getting a job in broadcasting as so many other former players do. He says that he isn't necessarily sure he wants to spend the rest of his life surrounded by football. Matthews then mentions the idea that Collins could potentially run for Mayor of Memphis, taking her spot if she is elected as Governor next year. As she kisses him, she jokes that he'd surely have her endorsement.
On the sidelines team physician Dr. Clifford Chen (B.D. Wong) puts Collins through a concussion protocol test. Collins is clearly out of it and is having trouble successfully answering Dr. Chen's questions. Collins knows he is concussed, but asks Chen to tell them he is good to go so that he can get back out onto the field. Chen tells him that would be unethical, but Collins tells him not to give him that pitch. After all, Chen cleared Lincoln Tatum to play when his knee was clearly in no condition to be playing. Dr. Chen informs Coach Heath that Collins does not have a concussion and is cleared to return to the game.
Collins returns to the field to the roar of the home town crowd. His girlfriend, Memphis Mayor Sharon Matthews (Saffron Burrows) watches from the owners box with Pharaohs' owner Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts). Matthews tells Palmer that the team's recent success bodes well for the stadium bond measure that is set to be voted on by the city council after the season. She is confident that she can convince the council to vote in his favor if the team performs well the rest of the season and goes on a nice playoff run, and of course if Palmer provides a hefty contribution to her bid for Governor of Tennessee.
Collins is clearly slow off the snap. He drops back and takes another hard hit to the head and fumbles the ball. A Detroit defender recovers the ball and takes it into the end zone for a touchdown. Following the play, Collins' vision is blurry. He starts jogging toward the wrong sideline and has to be directed to the other sideline by one of the officials. Coach Heath feels he has no choice but to pull Collins out of the game.
After the game, the media is in an uproar over Collins' obvious concussion. In a post-game interview, Coach Heath chalks up the team's loss to Detroit due to losing momentum after they had to take Collins out of the game. When questioned about why Collins re-entered the game following the first hit to the head, Heath tells the reporters that the medical staff informed him that Collins had passed the concussion protocol with no red flags.
Coach Heath and Leonard Palmer are called in to the AFA league offices in New York City to meet with the league's Commissioner Ted Watros (Clancy Brown). He informs them both that the league will be conducting an investigation into team's handling of Tim Collins' head injury. After the meeting, Heath and Palmer discuss the situation in the lobby. Palmer wants to know what happened, and Heath tells him that Dr. Chen told him he was cleared to play. Palmer says that he hopes the league ends up with the same findings and suggests they consider preemptively firing Chen to garner favor with Commissioner Watros. If they fire the doctor responsible, maybe the league won't fine the team or take away any draft picks. Heath doesn't like the idea of firing the team's primary physician this late into the season, but says he'll consider it and let him know what he decides.
Collins sits in bed with Sharon Matthews. He tells her that he isn't sure how many more big hits he can take any more. She tells him that he could always retire. He's had a long successful career and should have no problem getting a job in broadcasting as so many other former players do. He says that he isn't necessarily sure he wants to spend the rest of his life surrounded by football. Matthews then mentions the idea that Collins could potentially run for Mayor of Memphis, taking her spot if she is elected as Governor next year. As she kisses him, she jokes that he'd surely have her endorsement.
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