Chapter 914: The Second Ten-Win Season

"Ole ole ole, ole ole ole..."

Someone in the locker room started humming the theme song from the 2000 European Championship, "Ole Ole Ole We Are The Champions." The catchy tune echoed in his head, and before he knew it, he was humming along, singing loudly and happily.

Ahmad Brooks couldn’t help but complain, "Who? Who is that? This is football, not soccer! Isn’t that a little weird?"

The humming stopped instantly. Everyone in the locker room quickly searched for the "culprit," but the person in question kept their mouth shut, trying to make themselves disappear. The sudden silence was a little strange, and then everyone burst into laughter.

Lu Ke didn’t join in. He immediately called Logan’s cell phone. After only a short wait, the call connected, and Logan’s cheerful voice came through. "Victory! Victory! We won again! Haha!"

Logan’s lively reaction reassured Lu Ke a little, but he didn’t joke along. Instead, he asked, "What were the results of the examination?"

"...You’re no fun at all. The next time you tell a joke, I promise I won’t laugh." Even without seeing him, Lu Ke could picture Logan’s nonchalant eye roll.

But then Logan stopped being goofy and said seriously, "It’s a minor concussion. It’s not dangerous, and there’s no major injury, but the doctor still recommends I sit out a game and then take the league’s concussion protocol test."

"And you call that ’not serious’?" Lu Ke frowned. "Even a minor concussion must be taken seriously, Logan. You know this is not a joking matter."

Logan sighed. "Bambi, of course I know. I’m just trying to lighten the mood. See how understanding I am? I know you were worried, so I’m trying to cheer you up. I’ll follow the doctor’s orders and get some rest this week. I look forward to getting back on the field soon."

Concussion symptoms must be taken seriously, but the long-term effects are even more frightening. Many injuries to nerve endings or capillaries in the brain are too minor to be noticed at first, but they can cause problems later on. It’s like a ticking time bomb—it could go off at any time, but it might never go off at all.

The league is always monitoring the situation. If a professional athlete shows any symptoms of a concussion, the entire process is closely watched. But more importantly, even after they recover and return to the field, they must be careful at all times and not take any symptoms lightly.

As professional players, Logan and Lu Ke were just as vigilant.

Hearing Logan’s slightly dejected voice, Lu Ke took a deep breath, calming himself down. "Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to train with you to get you back up to speed."

A wail of despair came from the other end of the phone. No way!

This finally brought a smile back to Lu Ke’s face. "Should I tell Austin and Tiffany? They must be so worried right now."

"No, I’ll call them later. And Jack and Annie too." Logan’s heavy mood lightened a little. "They sent me a text message before the game was even over. The signal at Candlestick Park wasn’t very good, though, so it took almost an hour to send. I just got it a little while ago."

"Okay. Are you going straight back to your parents’ place or to your apartment?" Lu Ke relaxed a little more.

"Apartment. My dad would definitely worry. It’s better to stay in my apartment. Oh, and remember to bring dinner. You know which fried chicken I like." Logan knew Lu Ke would come to visit him. If their positions were reversed, he would be the first one to visit Lu Ke, so he didn’t hesitate to make a request.

"Fried chicken? Are you sure?" Lu Ke asked in surprise. While football players weren’t forbidden from eating such foods, they were advised to eat them in moderation since they weren’t very healthy. Of course, a small number of Black players with exceptional natural talent never worried about their diet.

"I’m going to be resting for at least two weeks. It’s just once. It won’t hurt, right? As for you, you can just watch me eat." Logan had already planned it out. His favorite fried chicken place didn’t have a delivery service, so you had to go there yourself.

"Bambi? Bambi! The press conference is about to start. Are you going to hurry up?"

Someone was calling him from nearby. Lu Ke raised his hand to acknowledge them and said simply, "I’m going to the interview now. You get some rest."

"Remember to give me a shout-out. I scored two touchdowns today..." Logan didn’t get to finish his sentence before the call ended. He stared at his phone and mumbled in frustration, "I was the biggest contributor. The reporters can’t experience my greatness. They must be so, so disappointed!"

After hanging up, Lu Ke quickly went to the shower, then changed into the clothes he had prepared. In about five minutes, he was walking toward the locker room door.

He was even faster than some of his teammates who had been ready for a while.

"Hey, wait, Bambi. You’re going so fast? Are you kidding me?" Aldon Smith called out to Lu Ke. "Everyone else is trying to get all dressed up for the press conference. Haven’t you noticed that Frank Gore has been in front of the mirror for fifteen minutes? He’s still not done trimming his sideburns and hairline with that eyebrow razor."

"Hey! I’m just being serious! All right?" Gore protested. "The hairline is the key to this hairstyle!" Gore’s haircut was almost a buzz cut, with only a thin layer of fuzz. But his sideburns and hairline were trimmed perfectly straight, forming a flawless square that only a Black person could pull off.

But before he could finish his protest, Gore shut his mouth and held his breath, trimming a tiny corner he had just noticed.

"Don’t worry, even if Bambi goes out in a torn-up undershirt, the reporters will still love it. No, maybe they’ll love it even more because they can see some skin," Brooks joked, making everyone burst into laughter. "You shouldn’t try to steal the spotlight."

"I... I was just curious..." Aldon tried to argue, but he stammered, which made the laughter from the other players even louder.

This made Aldon, who was dressed to the nines, raise his right hand filled with gold rings and clench his fist, shaking it at his teammates. The gold chains hanging from his neck also swung back and forth, as he strongly protested.

"You have your style, and I have mine. It’s good that we all stick to what we like," Lu Ke said with a smile, looking at Aldon from head to toe. "To be honest, I don’t think I can pull off your outfit."

With that, Lu Ke gave him a meaningful look and walked away.

Aldon, however, didn’t see it. He pulled on his chains and posed. "How about that? Pretty slick, huh?"

Lu Ke left the locker room and entered the press conference room.

The flashes of the cameras poured down like a waterfall, completely engulfing Lu Ke and capturing the style of the red-hot young quarterback.

He was wearing a sky-blue shirt with a palm leaf pattern, a light-gray casual sport coat, a pair of dark blue ripped jeans, and a pair of white canvas shoes. It was clean and simple, yet full of youthful energy.

"Bambi, your outfit is still so eye-catching, but you remembered to wear your watch."

The first question was lighthearted and teasing, a reminder of the Rolex on his right wrist. Lu Ke laughed cheerfully and held up his right hand, shaking it. "I don’t want to end up in jail for forgetting to wear my watch. I think it would affect my on-field performance."

His small joke successfully made everyone in the room laugh. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Bambi, that was a fantastic game! You beat a 7-2 team with a big lead. Congratulations! How do you feel about this game?"

The second question was more standard. "The Bears are a very tough opponent. They have one of the best defenses in the league, so it’s clear we gave it our all to get this victory. It was a hard-fought win. Luckily, we’ve continued our tradition at Candlestick Park."

The tradition at Candlestick Park?

"Are you looking forward to breaking the tradition at Soldier Field next time?"

Lu Ke chuckled. "Of course, if I get the chance. I’ll cross my fingers and pray."

"Bambi, congratulations on the win. With this victory, the team is the first to get ten wins this season. You’ve had ten wins for two consecutive years, a great achievement. Do you have any special thoughts on this? And now that the team can start looking toward the playoffs, how is your feeling different this year compared to last year?"

The third question was also what he expected. "Thank you. Personally, a win is worth celebrating, but the playoffs are still a long way off. We need to take it one step at a time. The next opponent will be very tough, so we can’t take them lightly. We hope to continue our winning streak."

"Right, this is your second consecutive season with ten wins. Are you considering an undefeated season this year? Your offense, defense, and special teams are all ranked at the top of the league. Do you think you have a chance to replicate the 2007 New England Patriots’ achievement?"

The fourth question felt strange.

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