American winner takes all

Chapter 219 Secret Talk (22)

The meeting place was not at a restaurant, but at a private cigar club in Atlanta.

Ethan walked into the VIP box and saw two old white men puffing away smoke.

The two of them were wearing suits, and the leather shoes on their feet were polished. The furnishings in the box had an exquisite and primitive feel, and the solid wood was carved with complicated patterns.As for Ethan, he was wearing young people's casual clothes, which didn't fit in here no matter how he looked.

"Young man, you are late." Roy Kramer said immediately.

"Sorry, I was delayed due to some things."

"Because of that female reporter? Bob Boone (the athletic director of the University of Alabama) told me all that." The principal said with a smile at this time.

The implication is that of course the principal also knows about the Independence Bowl.

Ethan sat across from the two of them, and then a waitress in a suit brought a wooden box filled with various cigars.

"Thank you, I don't need it." Ethan waved his hand.

"Have a try, young man, remember, your identity is not a player tonight." Seeing Ethan's rejection, Roy Kramer immediately followed.

"Get a Gurkha for this young man." Before Ethan could speak again, he took the initiative to make a decision for Ethan.

Then the waiter took the initiative to cut the cigar and lit it for Ethan.

Now that they were here, Ethan couldn't refuse, so he had to hold the cigar in his hand.

The two old white men noticed that Ethan was holding a cigar in a very sophisticated manner and couldn't help but look at each other.

"Let me just say...this young man disguised himself very well and deceived all of us." Roy Kramer smiled and picked up the wine glass.

Obviously, it doesn't refer to cigars.

"It's the victory cigar, the team's celebration after beating Tennessee." Ethan shrugged.

"Is this happening? Roger." Roy Kramer looked at the principal of Alabama sitting next to him.

"It's true that every year after a win over Tennessee, the entire Alabama team smokes cigars."

"Let's talk about business." Roy Kramer tightened his clothes and crossed his legs.

Alabama Principal Roger Sorenson looked at Ethan and spoke slowly:
"Ethan O'Connor, this Independence Bowl project is completely led by you. You are the one who is making suggestions behind Grace's back. You have deceived everyone!"

His tone became a little harsh at the end.

"I just hid part of my past experience with Grace. In fact, I was not involved in it." Ethan immediately shook his head and rejected it.

"Don't be kidding, I personally verified it with Grace's father John, including what you did in high school. Do you need me to list these one by one?" Roger, the principal of Alabama, even directly removed Grace's father. .

The two actually knew each other, which was beyond Ethan's expectation.

At this point, Ethan can only choose a showdown.

"Well, in fact, I did initiate the Independence Bowl project. I called Grace to Alabama, and I put her in touch with Bob Boone." Ethan could only choose a showdown now.

The two old white men looked at each other and raised their eyebrows, seeming to be somewhat happy.

"Since you tell the truth, we will also tell the truth. Alabama will consider other partners to see who offers better conditions." Roger changed the topic and seemed to directly sentence this cooperation to death.

"Unless...you have enough qualifications, I know the director of a non-profit organization who is very interested in the independent bowl event. If you can be willing to cooperate with the other party and make the other party responsible as the host and the bowl game committee Man, I might reconsider." Roger then slowly put forward his conditions.

"Of course." Ethan laughed. He didn't expect to call him over and say so much in a serious way. It turned out to be this.

This so-called non-profit organization is obviously Roger's Glove.

Ethan was more than happy to let the principal get a piece of the pie.

His participation made Ethan feel more at ease.

"It's a pleasure to work together." Roy Kramer raised his glass at this time. He was more like a spectator tonight. Maybe he was also considering this young man.

Ethan and Roger also raised their glasses at the same time.

"Next, are there going to be some entertainment programs?" Principal Roger suddenly asked.

"Wait a minute, there is another guest who is not present at this party." Roy Kramer raised his hand to check the time.

Soon his so-called guest arrived, and Ethan was very unfamiliar with this face.

"The sports director also recommended him to me at the time, but before I had time to contact this little guy, I didn't expect that your people would take the lead." He first looked at Ethan, and then said to Roger.

After the three people talked.

Only then did Ethan learn the identity of the other party, the president of the University of Nebraska.

The reason he's here is pretty simple - to be in the Independence Bowl as Alabama's opponent.

"The contest between the big12 and the strongest team in the SEC will definitely attract the attention of countless people, which will produce huge rewards." Roger looked at the other party.

"How much is the specific return?" the other party then asked.

"This..." Roger seemed hesitant. He obviously couldn't give a specific number.

"The relationship between the SEC and the Big12 has always been very good. Regarding the next national event, I think you are still waiting and watching. This bowl game will be an opportunity. Regarding the differences within the league, I will help you resolve them." At this time, Roy Kramer also followed suit.

Roy Kramer had a completely different purpose than the president of Alabama.

As he put it, the national championship game system, which includes all conference and bowl games, "kicks away" the NCAA.

Of course, it is still impossible to completely kick out the NCAA. After all, there are other projects that need to operate within the framework of the NCAA. But if the NCAA can retract its hands from the football field, his goal has been achieved.

"Sorry gentlemen, Nebraska has decided to participate in the Orange Bowl this year." The other party shook his head.

All in all, I didn't agree.

Compared to the little-known independent bowl, the orange bowl is obviously more attractive.

Seeing that the negotiation had reached a deadlock, Ethan, who was silent on the side, spoke.

"The Independence Bowl's fixed compensation and bonuses will exceed those of the Orange Bowl and may even be the highest of any bowl game."

It was too late for the other two to stop them. "This is just the beginning. From now on, the NCAA's influence in the football field will continue to weaken, especially the five major league universities, which will all get a share of the pie, starting with this year's Independence Bowl."

Ethan’s words can be called heroic words.

He has to get Nebraska to the Independence Bowl, which is a guarantee of attraction.

No one wants to see their own unilateral abuse.

Unfortunately, Ethan's words did not impress the other party.

"Sorry, you should find another university." The other party simply said goodbye to Roy Kramer and Roger and left the box.

“Why can’t Nebraska be in two bowl games?”

Just before he left the box, Ethan suddenly said.

The principal, who had already decided to leave, stopped.

"Alabama is currently undefeated. Even if it cannot participate in the bowl game, it will become the uncrowned king. From a prestige perspective, if Nebraska can defeat Alabama, it will undoubtedly become the number one in the country. From a benefit perspective, participate Nebraska, which has won two bowl games, can also get more fixed bonuses. The school can use this money to build new venues and train more young players. No matter how you look at it, for Nebraska It’s all a good thing to gain both fame and fortune.”

"Of course, this does not mean that Alabama will definitely lose to Nebraska. The audience prefers real confrontations rather than scripts."

The other party was silent for a moment, then turned around and said, "Roger, we will discuss this matter in detail later."

Ethan's words finally pulled Nebraska back, who was not ready to wade into the muddy waters.

The two old white men couldn't help but feel lucky. Fortunately, Ethan was present this time, otherwise they really wouldn't be able to influence each other's thoughts.

After chatting, Ethan was ready to leave. The bowl game was finalized tonight. In the next few days, as Alabama's independent participation in the bowl game was announced to the public, the drama will unfold.

But Roy Kramer suddenly stopped Ethan and said that he wanted to leave Ethan behind and talk to him alone about something.

As Roger left, Roy asked about the details of Ethan's words just now.

"Yes, I do want to weaken the influence and restrictions of the NCAA in football." Ethan admitted bluntly.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and Ethan didn't mind telling Roy his true purpose.

Bowl games are just the beginning.

After listening to Ethan's words, Roy shook his head silently: "This is impossible. Nowadays, the relationship between the NCAA and universities in the field of football has gone through years of negotiation and consultation, and is in a delicate balance. The universities cannot do without it. The NCAA, the NCAA cannot do without each university. No one can really break the balance." Roy said.

Even Roy, who has been fighting with the NCAA all his life, dare not have this idea. His mind only stays on the national playoffs.

"Yes, but that was in the past. Times have changed now. The Internet has begun to penetrate into people's lives. The conflicts between athletes and schools, schools and the NCAA have become more and more prominent. It is time to redistribute profits. Moreover, from a legal perspective, What the NCAA is currently doing is questionable." Ethan specifically mentioned at the end.

Then we started talking about NIL rights.

The NCAA is just a loose sports league, somewhere between a company and a non-profit organization, and its regulations cannot go beyond the law.

"Are you telling the truth? Who did you listen to? Could it be a boring law student?" After hearing this, Roy's expression changed slightly, and then he asked multiple questions in succession.

"It's not a boring law student, that's my relative. She discovered this legal loophole. I don't know the specific details. If you have any additional questions, you can contact her privately."

Ethan directly led Catherine out. Catherine did not get any tips from him at that time. It is not an exaggeration to say that she discovered it.

In the legal world, this is an extremely important case. Catherine's personal participation in it will be of great help to her studies in law school and her future work.

This is an opportunity that countless law students dream of.

"I will ask the SEC...my personal legal advisor to contact this girl. I hope this is true." Roy thought for a while and asked Ethan for Katherine's number.

"Then how do you make sure this is true?" Ethan asked.

"Then NIL rights will become a trump card in the hands of the SEC." Roy began to imagine the day when the NCAA collapsed.

Ethan and Roy have the same purpose. Now Ethan is handing the knife to the SEC, which is obviously the better choice.

Gods fight and mortals benefit. There is no better script than this.

After coming out of the cigar shop, Ethan went directly to Catherine's residence.

·
"It's so late, I thought you would go back to rest... You smell like cigars." Catherine opened the door and said immediately.

"No matter how late it is, you have to come over." Ethan looked at Catherine. She looked more and more feminine, and her figure became more round and round.

Without saying a word, Catherine pulled Ethan into the room and snuggled up with Ethan.

At this time, Ethan talked about participating in principal-level dialogues, including the Independence Bowl, all of which were revealed, and finally the issue of NIL rights was mentioned.

"I can definitely provide help to the SEC. During this period, I have been collecting related cases of reputation infringement, portrait rights, and name infringement."

"This is better." Ethan nodded.He always felt at ease when Catherine did things.

Then Catherine talked about her cousin Vincent.

As members of "Walker", the two had already met, and at this time Catherine also fully knew her life experience.

"No wonder I was asked to join the Death Brotherhood. It turns out that it is a family tradition." Catherine laughed.

"It's good that you can find a real home." Ethan stroked the ends of her hair.

"Real home? It's not a real home there. It's just an alliance of interests formed by a group of sophisticated egoists. They only opened their arms to me again because they took a fancy to my potential. It's that simple." Catherine saw clearly.

"Compared with that, Mia is more like my mother, and you. Don't forget that I am your sister, your sister for life." Catherine pressed Ethan's nose.

Seeing that Catherine was still facing him like this, Ethan felt relieved, and the opportunity to cooperate with the Walker family came to mind.

As a wealthy family with four generations of people who have a strong interest in sports, Walker will definitely not give up football, a sport that has a special status in the United States...

·
At the same time, in the NCAA's disciplinary committee office, Rose looked at the many investigation materials about Ethan placed on the table.

No one can tarnish the purity of college athletics, no one!

While thinking this, the jealous Rose smiled and crushed Ethan's photo into a ball and threw it into the trash can.

(End of this chapter)