For the town of Messina, going to a football game every Friday night was like going to church every Sunday morning. Neely says when he revisits the school trophy case, “It was more of a shrine to Eddie Rake, an alter where his followers could worship” (Grisham 102). Just about every player on the team was automatically handed a passing grade in their classes along with a pass to just about anything else they wanted, as long as they brought home a state championship. The start of this adulation for the game, and all its players, began with Coach Eddie Rake’s methods. Enter Neely Crenshaw: one of Rake’s all time best players, headed straight for the NFL until a college injury ended his career before it began. After this incident, his life went downhill. He dropped out of college, got married and divorced and has never been truly happy. Upon returning, for Rake’s funeral, Neely must now learn how to let go of the game, and try to find closure with his ex high school sweetheart. The little town held on so tight to its wins and championships, what will it do when their beloved coach …show more content…
She was a good girl, pretty, and completely in love with Neely. When his small town fame got to him, he broke up with Cameron for Brandy Skimmel, aka, “Screamer”. He felt it was more beneficial to him to have a sexual relationship with a girl who used her body to get her everywhere she went. When Neely finally sees Cameron again, “The gravity of his mistake hit him hard”(Grisham 174) . He is not over her, and needs to make peace with her and what happened to continue with his life. She is willing to speak with him, but not to open up. At Rake’s funeral when he is asked to speak, he tells the crowd, “I’ve loved five people in my life. My parents, a certain girl who is here tonight, my ex wife, and Eddie Rake” (Grisham 224). Cameron has moved on, now its time for Neely to gain his closure and do th,e