Gauntlet 2.3 - Training Camp

Gauntlet : Training Camp
Genre : Sports / Drama
Showrunner: Antoine Fuqua
Writer : Matt Parker

Cast: William Fichtner, Josh Duhamel, Trevor Jackson, Eric Roberts, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Jared Keeso,Corey Hawkins and John David Washington

Plot: Ambulance sirens blare as Lincoln Tatum (John David Washington) comes to in his totaled car. He looks to the passenger seat, but his boyfriend Jeremy is nowhere to be found. He scrambles from the wreckage and finds the lifeless body of Jeremy mangled beyond recognition several yards from the car. Paramedics rush towards Tatum as he passes out from his own blood loss.

As the Memphis Pharaohs training camp rages on, veteran Tim Collins (Josh Duhamel) decides to flat-out ask Coach Ken Heath (William Fichtner) if he's the starter heading into the season or if the coach plans on starting the rookie Alex Wright (Patrick Schwarzenegger). Heath tells Collins to focus more on getting his body and mind ready for the season and less on a little workplace competition. Collins returns to the field to continue taking reps with the rest of the first team players, but new offensive coordinator Stan Swift (Jared Keeso) tells him to go ahead and sit this one out as the coaches want to see how Wright does with the first team offense, and more importantly, how he does against the Pharaohs' first team defense. Wright trots out onto the practice field and immediately demonstrates a strong understanding of the playbook. On his first play in practice, Wright hits new wide receiver DeAndre Colson (Corey Hawkins) with a laser on a deep slant route for an easy touchdown.

In the locker room, running back Jefferson Thomas (Trevor Jackson) asks Collins if he's worried about losing out to the rookie. Collins admits that he still feels he is a starting caliber quarterback in this league, but he's a good long run in Memphis, so whatever happens happens. Collins then asks Thomas if he's threatened by the team signing an offensive weapon faster than him. Thomas insists that there's no way Colson is faster than he is.

Lincoln Tatum wakes up in the hospital. He asks the doctors if Jeremy is okay, but the doctors inform Tatum that Jeremy died on impact in the crash. Tatum begins crying. The doctors then inform Lincoln that he suffered severe damage to his right leg. Lincoln asks the doctor if he'll ever be able to play football again. The doctor tells Lincoln that he'll be lucky if he ever walks normally again.

Back at Pharaohs' training camp, Swift continues to shadow Wright feeding him extra information about the offense. Collins watches this from a distance and decides to go up and formally introduce himself to the rookie phenom. Collins shakes Wright's hand and says that if he needs anything to give him a call. Collins gives Swift a look, and Swift walks away. Wright quietly asks what there is to do for fun in Memphis. Collins offers to show Wright around the city, but Wright turns down the offer much to Collins' surprise. Wright says that he isn't interested in hanging around with an old timer like Collins. Wright then puts back on his helmet and heads back out onto the practice field.

Coach Heath lines up several of the players, including Colson and Thomas, to check out their times on the 40 yard dash. Thomas confidently steps up to the starting line and finishes with a time of 4.32 seconds. The coaches are impressed with this time since it is the same speed he posted at the AFA Draft Combine, showing that a season in the pros hasn't slowed him down any. DeAndre Colson then comes up to the line. He blazes down the line with a time of 4.29 seconds.

To celebrate the start of the season, the owner of the Memphis Pharaohs, Leonard Palmer (Eric Roberts), invites the team to a party at his mansion. At the party, Coach Heath asks to speak with Tim Collins. They go into Palmer's library and have a seat. Heath tells Collins that he has yet to make up his mind on which quarterback to start in the season opener as it is not an easy decision. Collins has been his quarterback for well over a decade and that counts for something, but Wright is the future of the team, for better or worse. Collins asks Coach Heath to let him know what the decision is before the media finds out. He doesn't want to hear about it from Twitter. Heath shakes Collins' hand and heads back to the party. Heath finds Palmer and Swift talking about how the training camp has been going, especially in regards to the competition at quarterback. Swift tells Palmer that he feels like Wright has showed the ability and put in the work to deserve the starting spot. Palmer says the marketing department will certainly be happy if that's the case. Coach Heath interrupts them and says that it's his job to decide who the starting quarterback, but that he'll be sure to let the marketing department know what his decision is. Heath then leaves the party.

Lincoln Tatum is back home with his leg in a cast. He hobbles his way to his bedroom safe and pulls out a gun. Tatum sits down on his bed next to a picture of Jeremy. He looks at photos from his playing days that are adorning the walls of his bedroom. With a tear in his eye, Tatum reaches the gun toward his head and pulls the trigger.