Woodlawn Page #2

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well, so be it.

We've stayed.

While others have left, we've stayed.

And we stayed because

we love this school.

This school has been an enduring beacon

to this city for many years,

and we all know that.

Now, do you really want its final

legacy to be failed integration?

What would that do?

Why don't you tell me about that, sir?

All right, Tandy, I'll tell you.

If there is one more incident...

you're done.

Both of you.

Y'all have a nice day.

Thank you, Gene.

You too.

Mm-hmm.

Comin'!

Hello?

Hey, babe.

Hey, oh, hey, listen, Todd's got a Pop

Warner game now on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Now, you tell me you're gonna be there.

Look, something happened.

I'm okay, but...

What happened?

What always happens.

How bad?

Six went to the hospital.

Knives mostly.

You okay?

Let's go, Tandy.

Tandy, are you okay?

I gotta go.

Yeah, I'm okay. Bye.

Hey, Coach.

Can I talk to the team now?

Look, I don't have time

to deal with this right now.

Tandy, let's go.

Tandy, now!

Coach!

This is what I do.

I help people.

You know what?

You have five minutes.

After training in the gym.

You talk to Stearns.

You better be good.

Now!

Can I get an introduction?

No.

All right, guys, let's settle down.

Bring it in.

Guys.

Hey, hey!

Settle down.

We have a motivational speaker

here, if you guys don't mind.

Hey, guys.

I got it.

Good luck.

Hey, everybody. My name's Hank.

Hey, Hank.

I'm not a coach.

I'm not a teacher.

I'm not a counselor.

In fact, nobody asked me

to come here today.

But I look at what happened

this afternoon, and I think,

"Aren't you sick of it?"

I mean, I'm sick of it.

I'm not even from here,

but does this kind of thing

happen so much

that it just feels normal?

I mean, you don't know me,

you've never seen me before,

but what would you say if I

told you that 100% without fail,

it doesn't have to be this way?

Birmingham has seen

nothing but hate for so long,

it has lost its ability to believe.

It's lost hope.

Let me tell you what Jesus said.

He said, "I am the way,

I am the truth, I am the life."

And that means something to me

because I let it mean something to me.

I'll tell you something else

that seems crazy, only it's not.

I love you.

I care about you,

each and every one of you.

I care about what you've seen.

I care about what you've been through.

I care about your pain.

So does God.

Jerry, what's going on?

I said 5 minutes.

He's been here for an hour.

We need to wrap this up.

Tandy, hold on, man.

Man, I know this sounds crazy,

but just give the guy a chance.

We ain't got nothing else to lose.

You don't know me,

but I'm asking you anyway

to stand up right now, right here,

and make a decision...

a decision to change, to forgive,

to be forgiven

no matter what you've done.

That's how much God loves you.

I'm asking you to choose Jesus.

Can you do that?

Will you do that...

with me, right now?

Thank you.

Brave men.

What just happened?

Where have you been?

The gym.

And what happened at the gym?

I let an untrained religious nut

convert the whole team.

I'm going to bed.

The whole team.

Is that good or bad?

I don't know.

Birmingham Post Herald believes

something about this team.

They believe we're

only gonna win two games.

They believe that this season

is the death rattle

of a school that is

barely able to stay alive.

You see, I don't believe this

for a minute.

I believe that we are

the masters of our own fate.

I believe that we can prove

these people wrong.

Why don't you go out there and show me

what you all believe?

Let's go do it!

Play our boys!

Come on, Tandy!

Just no win.

Puts them black boys in, we riot.

He doesn't, they riot.

Bring 'em in, bring 'em in,

bring 'em in!

Bring 'em in!

Play our boys, Tandy!

I know you hear me!

Hey, sit down and shut up!

Hey, don't talk to my wife like that.

You don't talk to my wife like that.

I don't expect you to win,

but I expect you to keep things quiet.

It's not my fault, Owen.

I'm trying to coach football.

This is bigger than football, Tandy.

All right, then.

Get Nathan.

What?

Nathan!

Nathan, let's go.

Come on, son.

Let's go.

That's right.

Our boys wanna play too.

Hey, safety.

Go.

Field wrangler, cover two.

Field wrangler, cover two.

Ready, break!

Nathan!

The slot!

The slot, Nathan!

Hut!

Run! Go, Nathan!

Don't just stand there!

Go, go, go, go, go!

Come on, ref!

That was a late hit!

Are you kidding me?

Come on, Ref!

Welcome to the game.

I thought you said God

was gonna bless us.

I thought we were gonna win.

Maybe God is testing us.

Maybe he wants to know

that our commitment is real,

not just to win football games.

Look who decided to ride the bus today.

Hey, Johnnie, this is Tony.

He don't talk much.

I know who you are.

Really?

So, what you mean you don't talk, hmm?

It's 'cause you just ain't got nothing

to say or too afraid to say it?

Both.

Reggie, let him talk.

If you scored, we would've won the game.

Why you so afraid of getting hit?

'Cause it hurts.

That's too bad.

Ooh-hoo!

Hey, guys.

Hey, Tony, did you hear

about the meeting tonight?

Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Count you in?

What happened to your foot?

Oh, when I was in college,

I was working part-time

during the summer at a steel mill.

Accident took away half my foot

and my dreams of playing

professional baseball.

Man, baseball was everything

to me back then.

Man, I'm sorry about that.

Don't be sorry.

I think that sometimes

before you can have

new dreams in this life,

the old ones have to be

taken away from you.

Look, there's something

I've wanted to say to you

since the first time I saw you play.

There's something

special about you, Tony.

I can see it.

You have a gift.

That's something that can't be taught.

That can only be given.

But you have to decide

what you wanna do with it.

When you play for yourself,

you can be great.

But when you play for something

higher than yourself,

that's when something

extraordinary can happen.

God has a purpose for all of us,

and it is not insignificant.

And obviously, I can't know

what yours is, but I think...

I think God wants you to be a superstar.

No such thing.

As what?

There's no such thing

as a black superstar.

Not in this state.

You okay, buddy?

I just hate to lose, Dad.

I hate it.

I hate it so bad.

You say you'll do anything

to win, but you won't.

Didn't you see him run?

Hike!

Come on, they're killing us!

If they're not gonna give him the ball,

this is just a waste of time, Junior.

We need a new coach!

Tandy, you're in trouble!

Time out. Time out.

Boys, bring it in.

Come here.

Nathan, come here.

This your time to shine, let's go.

That a boy, Tony!

Okay, Nathan's in at tailback.

Wait, wait, Coach!

Power I, guys.

Eleven yards, that's what I need, okay?

That's my position!

He don't know the offense yet!

Morton!

This is my team!

It's not a democracy!

Now go sit down!

All right, let's go.

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