Come on, ladies.
Hey, Piccolo, any slower you'd be going backwards.
What are you thinking about out there?
lt's the same thing l think about all the time, sir.
How l can play my small part in pushing this team to greater glory.
Pretend you're in a hurry when you play.
That'd be a start, all right? Let's go.
Let's go.
-You really stink today, Piccolo. -Thanks, Bill.
Coming from you, that means.... Well, nothing at all.
That must be him. That's the Kansas Comet.
-Sayers? -Yeah.
l heard the old man's paying him a $100,000 for four years.
-Also heard he's one of those uppity kinds. -Uppity.
-What kind of word is uppity? -You've never heard it?
What does it mean? Sounds like my kid when she's reaching for something.
-He thinks he's better than everyone. -l never understood uppity.
You'll understand it better when you meet Sayers.
Sayers. Gale Sayers.
That's right.
l'm Brian Piccolo.
We met at the All-American Game last June in Buffalo.
Yeah, right.
l know you don't remember. That's all right.
But l'll never forget it, no way. And that was one heck of a talk we had.
l came to you and l said, ''l'm Piccolo. We'll both be playing for the Bears.''
And you said, l'll never forget it, you said, ''Uh-huh.''
Just like that, ''Uh-huh.''
Whenever l'm feeling depressed or low, l think about that moment.
A lot of guys wouldn't take time to talk to me, but not you.
No. ''Uh-huh,'' you said. Just like that.
You ever met Halas before?
Just on the phone.
Let me tell you something. He's totally deaf in his left ear.
He'll never admit it, so stay on his right side...
...or he won't hear a word you say.
Rookies got to stick together, right?
What?
-Who are you? -Sayers.
Why didn't you say so? Get in here.
How is your leg? l hear you hurt it.
lt's good. lt's healed up.
How is your head?
lt's okay.
Being in the All-Star Game puts you about three weeks behind everybody else.
-lt ain't going to be easy. -l know.
Well, all l can do is promise you a fair shot at running back.
But you're going to have to fight off John Arnett...
...Ralph Kurek and Brian Piccolo.
Well, a fair shot is all l want.
l'm going to use my running backs a lot as receivers this year.
You do any pass-catching in college?
Usually safety valve stuff. Sometimes we'd screen.
You got to pee, Sayers?
No.
Well, l expect my guys to work hard and never give up.
-This isn't the AFL, you know? -Yes, l know.
Thanks for dropping by. Now get the hell out of here.
Thank you.
And Sayers?
l have perfect hearing in both ears. Don't believe everything Piccolo tells you.
Look at that guy. He doesn't even talk to his own people.
All right, listen up.
You fellows just rolled in today, you haven't heard the drill, so here it is.
Tomorrow you new guys will be given a playbook. This playbook is like the Bible.
The Gideons don't replace it for free and neither do the Bears.
You don't mind if l break bread with my brothers, do you?
No appeals, no exceptions, $500.
Now curfew. You don't like it. l don't like it. Too bad.
l have to be honest.
At first l thought maybe you didn't like white people.
But now l'm thinking maybe you just don't like people in general.
-Which is it? -Why don't you stay out of my face?
-l don't want to have to tell you-- -Mr. Sayers!
l just mentioned the fine for talking at a team meeting.
Did you happen to hear what l was saying?
-No, l did not. -Well, the fine is $25.
And it's just been levied on you. You dig it?
l just don't understand the name Gale. l mean, l understand Kerry or Randy.
l mean, those can go either way. But Gale? l mean, why not Edith?
-Or Judy? -Jemimah.
Ready! Hut!
He's fast. Real fast.
l'm dynamite till there's someone playing against me.
You're really impressed with yourself, aren't you?
Come on, now. lt's all right. l might be, too, if l ran that good.
l know a lot of guys like you. You're a natural.
You don't even have to work too hard at it.
You're one of those guys that everything comes easy to.
You know, every time l look in the mirror, l see a guy that everything came easy to.
That is the longest string of words l've heard you say.
You must be exhausted.
l've known a lot of guys like you, too. Try to get by on smiles and jokes.
But that's usually all they have. And they come and they go.
-You saying l'm a flash in the pan? -l haven't seen any flash yet.
Jokes, too.
l guess you don't have too much to worry about.
Halas has got so much money tied up in you he can't afford to cut you.
That's not why l won't get cut.
l know.
Ready! Break!
Way to go.
Blue, eighty!
Hut!
Piccolo, you bonehead. That was a fake draw screen right.
What is your assignment in a fake draw screen right?
My assignment is to pick up the linebacker if he's coming.
Unless the linebacker is Dick Butkus.
Than l notify the quarterback and send for a priest.
That won't be funny when you got a mouth full of dirt because of Piccolo, you morons.
Let's do it again. Huddle up!
You can't stay in the past, George.
-l mean, it's 1966-- -l know what year it is.
We don't need any distraction. We don't need any trouble.
How can it hurt us?
Come in.
Are you going to stand there and stare at us...
...or are you going to say something, Gale?
-You asked to see me. -Damn right l did. Get in here.
So, look.
We're going to start a new policy around here. lt's going to start with you.
My brain trust tells me that it's time that the Bears...
...started rooming together by position.
That maybe it's not a good idea anymore...
...that the guys be split up by race.
You follow?
That maybe if we mix everybody up...
...we'll get some understanding on this team.
And that's a good thing, right?
All right.
You got any problem rooming with a white man?
No.
Do you have any problem rooming with Brian Piccolo?
Well, look....
No, l guess not.
You better be sure, Gale. This is going to make a lot of people mad.
lt won't be fun when we play down in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston.
You can say no.
No, it's okay with me, if it's okay with him.
He'll be fine with it. Trust me.
Excuse me. l thought this was my room.
-Well, it's mine now, too. -You got to be kidding me.
-They didn't tell you? -We're rooming together?
-Me and you? -That's right.
What, for tonight? This week?
For the season.
What? Why didn't anybody ask me?
Listen, l'm not happy about being with you, either.
So if you want to find another roommate, please, be my guest.
Man, you must be a racist.
You make a good argument for it.
You are real hilarious all of a sudden, aren't you?
lt doesn't matter anyhow. The old man's going to cut me any minute.
-You saw the kind of day l had out there. -You're not getting cut.
What? You're psychic now, too? Psychic comedian, is that it?
Why would they have us room together if you didn't make the team?
Damn.
l always liked you, Sayers.
Okay, listen up, guys.
To the Chicago Bears' new backfield.
Best offensive team ever laced them up.
Here, here.
Here's to Pic's new roommate. The Kansas Comet.
That's funny, guys. Really funny.
Could be an interesting year.
-Maybe you'll learn something. -Like what?
Come on. Brian has never even known a coloured person.
Wait, that is a total lie.
Who?
You're on your own, man.
How about the guys on the team at Wake Forest?
No. l'm talking about somebody you actually had a relationship with.
Not somebody you slapped on the butt every once in a while.
All right, maybe l haven't. So what?
l don't care about what colour he is. l really don't. lt's just he is so...
...aloof.
Aloof?
No, it's this whole ''l'm better than you'' attitude.
He is better than you, Pic. He's better than all of us.
-Thanks for pointing that out. -Honey, leave him alone.
What? Give me a kiss.
How you doing over there?
Like the biggest, baddest, meanest, fastest...
...most scared-to-death phoney football player you've ever seen.
Shut up. You're the real deal. Everybody knows it.
Well, as long as you know it.
-l love you. -Me, too.
No. Don't do it. Don't room with the white guy.
-Why not? -Why? What's it going to prove?
lt'll cause you trouble down the line. Like the Mason-Dixon line.
lt has to happen sooner or later.
Honey, people aren't ready for it. l'm just trying to watch out for you.
What do you want me to do? lt's not like l have a choice.
Well, you don't have to do everything they say.
l don't do everything they say, all right? Look, l'm part of a team.
How will it look if l don't want to room with a white man?
Like you're smart.
l don't care about rooming with the white man.
l really wish it wasn't this white man.
Okay. Well, don't go crying to me when you go out on that field one day...
...and there's a burning goal post in the end zone.
All right. A little much?
-Why do you talk like that? -You worry me sometimes.
l worry you?
ls that all you got?
Okay, listen.
Come in here. Do something.
How does it feel playing in the NFL, Gale?
lt's okay.
Well, you must feel pretty good. You had a really good day.
-Yeah. -Excuse me, guys.
Maybe you'd like to have a word with the man who won the game today.
-You're Piccolo? -Yeah. Two ''C''s, one ''L.''
You never left the bench.
l am pleased you noticed my strategy. That's very observant.
You see, it's my mental game that makes us winners.
The team looks at me, then l call the plays with my facial expressions.
Halas is trying to get the NFL to make it a position.
Offensive full benchwarmer.
l plan to be the first hall of famer in benchwarming, or ''benching.''
You know, as the pros call it.
You're the first black and white roommates in the NFL.
How is that going?
Gale?
lt's fine. Except he never shuts up.
Do you have to air our dirty laundry in public?
How come you never talk to me about your feelings?
l bet you have plenty to say to your friends down at the bar.
And l am sick and tired of staring at those four walls...
...while you're out till all hours.
We're going to work through it, though.
You know, as long as we keep talking, we'll be okay.
l like this one.
''You must have been raised with pigs...
''...to stay in the same room with one of those darkies.
''You must have crawled out from under a slimy rock.''
-ls that it? -Just the usual.
''Love, Mother.''
-Doesn't any of this bother you? -Nope.
Those letters don't bother you?
l've been hearing it all my life. l just keep my mind on the game.
-l don't believe you. -l don't care what you believe.
lf l were you, l'd want to rip somebody's head off.
And as you can see, you are not me.
That's it. That's the thing about you. You are so arrogant.
You are. You know, somebody tries to be nice...
...even just make conversation, you turn your back.
You don't know me.
That's for sure. Nobody does. The whole team thinks you're uppity.
Uppity?
l don't get what it means either. lt seems to fit in your case.
-You better be careful. -You don't talk to anybody.
Even when you score, you walk away. You don't do the whole ''ass pat'' thing.
-l mean, that is un-American, son. -l'm not here to make friends.
l don't expect you to do anything radical, but this is a team.
lt wouldn't hurt to make a few acquaintances.
-lt wouldn't hurt-- -Hey, come on.
Hungry, food. Now, we go eat.
Yeah. l want red meat and l want it now.
You just ate lunch five minutes ago. What's wrong with you?
You wouldn't want to come with us?
lf we promise not to talk to you or anything?
You know what? l would love to come with you guys. Thanks.
Let me just get my jacket and my wallet.
You know the other thing we could do is just order in.
-Maybe pizza, Chinese. -Look, l'm kidding.
This is Georgia. Of course l'm not going with you guys.
l have my own friends to hang out with in an hour.
-All right. -All right.
-See you, Gale. -Later.
Come on, Pic! Tonight!
Lori? Traci?
Guys, have you seen Traci or Lori?
-No, Pic, l haven't seen them. -They were just here a second ago.
l don't get it. Honey, have you seen the girls?
-No. Did you check their room? -Yeah, the closets, too.
-Beats me. -That's so strange.
l know. Maybe l left them in the dryer.
Of course.
Hey, Pic. Look.
In other sports, Chicago Bears' running back, GaIe Sayers...
...has been named NFL Rookie of the Year.
The Kansas Comet has the most points in a rookie season: 132.
Coming up next, Betty DriscoII has the rest of the footbaII highIights...
...and then Fast Louie KIine has the pIay of the week.
All right, let me check that dryer.
l hope l didn't turn it on.
Boy, l hope l didn't turn it on.
How are you doing over there?
Great. We'll need more beer, though. l only got four kegs.
-What was l thinking? -You know what l mean.
You mean Sayers.
Hey, good for him. No, really.
l won't begrudge it to him. l mean, sure, he is arrogant.
l work ten times harder than him. He's ten times better than l am.
Sure, he tosses off in a second what it takes me weeks to get good at.
-Other than that, you're fine with it? -Exactly.
-The man deserves it. Case closed. -You would, too, if they'd let you play.
l will have my day.
Great soup.
l love you.
-This is where you say you love me, too. -You know l do.
-Will you pull a tendon if you say it? -lf you don't know it by now...
...it doesn't make any difference how many times l say it.
That's probably Butkus.
l got to go butter the doorway so he'll get through it.
...kept a cIose eye on the protests....
Come on, time to eat, baby.
l think l should be out there doing something, too.
Baby, you are doing something.
What you do on the field, people look up to it.
lt lets them know they can make it, too.
l hope so.
Can l ask you a question?
Do you think l'm arrogant?
Now, Iadies and gentIemen, to accept the award for Rookie of the Year...
...GaIe Sayers.
FootbaII is a....
It's a team sport.
He's not arrogant, he's shy.
Thank you very much for this.
-Thank you very much. -All right.
-You have a fan. -Come on, stop that.
-Nice, tonight. -Yeah. lt was nice.
Nice speech.
Especially when you said, ''Football is a....''
You really hit me where l live with that.
Hi. l'm Joy Piccolo. l'm married to Mr. Manners over here.
Sorry about that. l'm Gale. This is my wife.
Linda. Nice to meet you.
l was thinking about asking to be traded.
Not that l don't love being offensive full benchwarmer.
l'm starting to dent some of them. Doesn't seem fair to the benches.
You know, but then l decided no. l like Chicago and l like the team.
What l don't like is playing second string.
Next season l've got a shot at fullback.
The old man doesn't think l'm big enough. He'll probably go with Ronnie Bull.
The other spot is yours.
That's the job l'm gunning for, Sayers.
l'm a better blocker than you. l'm as good a receiver.
l can't run like you, but if l can't break away for 60, l can still get 10 sixes.
lt all adds up the same way.
l'm coming back to camp next year in the best shape ever.
l'm going to do everything l can to blow you out of the line-up.
-Goodnight, now. -Goodnight.
Goodnight.
Now, he's arrogant.
What's that, Coach?
Starting line-up for the exhibition.
-Who's backfield? -Buchanan, Valt and Sayers.
lt's quiet out here.
Except when the planes fly over.
You know, you play a real good game.
So do you.
Let's go. 3:00, south wind, on three.
Ready? Break!
Gale!
You should eat something. Can l get you anything?
-Something to read. A magazine. -No.
-Baby, the doctor said you should-- -Will you leave me alone?
l'm trying to help you.
l don't need any food. l don't need any damn magazines.
Just leave it alone, okay? Can you do that? Can you?
Bad time?
l'm going to go get you that magazine.
Don't be alarmed, but l just heard your surgeon ask someone what year it is.
Piccolo, not today. l'm not in the mood.
l heard you think you're not playing the game anymore.
Please. You've got to be kidding me. ls this why you came down here?
To give me some pep talk?
This is being installed in your garage as we speak...
...courtesy of George Halas and the Bears.
You're going to make me puke.
Six months ago you're gunning for my job. Now you're my guardian angel.
-You're not finished playing football. -lt's over!
Even if l could come back, l wouldn't come back the same.
l don't even care.
Anybody who cries in front of 45,000 people cares.
You shut up, okay? You shut up!
Why doesn't everybody leave me alone? l don't need your pity!
l don't need this ''be nice to Gale'' garbage. Especially from you.
Nice? l'm not being nice to you, Gale. Don't flatter yourself.
Look, when l was in high school, l was one of the best backs in the state.
Unfortunately, the best back in the state was Fredrickson.
When the big colleges came to watch us who do you think they picked?
-ls this going to be a long story, Piccolo? -l worked my butt off in college.
l lead the whole nation in rushing and scoring but nobody drafts me.
Not the AFL, not the NFL. l figure l'll try out as a free agent.
Guess what? l make the Bears.
Guess what?
Sayers decides to come to the Bears and l'm number two all over again.
Well, you are number one now.
Yeah. And if you don't come back...
...and come back 100 percent, people will always say l got in on a pass.
A lucky break. And l won't have it that way.
No.
No, l am going to beat you but it won't mean a thing...
...unless you're at your best.
Not one second slower. Not one bit weaker.
l'm going to work your butt off getting you back in shape again.
And believe me, l'm not doing this for you.
So, there's really no need to puke.
l am not going to humiliate myself so that you can feel better about yourself.
There're five games left in the season.
That's how long you have to feel sorry for yourself.
Because after that, you're mine.
Feel better.
A beautifuI 15-yard touchdown run by Brian PiccoIo.
That's a 112 yards in 21 carries.
He has just dominated this gameI
We want to thank the Chicago Bears...
...on behaIf of the FamiIy Day Care Foundation.
Ladies, over here. Smile.
...refreshments out back, games for the kids and thanks for coming.
And go BearsI
Hi.
-Football wives, saving the world. -That's us.
-ls your car this way? -Sure.
-Brian says he's doing great. -That's more than he's telling me.
We're now entering month three of the long, bad mood.
What's your gut? ls he going to be okay?
-Can l be honest with you? -Unless it's about my hair. Sure.
l love Gale. l really do.
But l am sick to death of talking about him.
-No, l'm serious. -l know what you mean.
ls it me, or does everyone treat us like...
...we're little satellites orbiting around the men?
Like we're army wives, except with a nicer house.
Don't you want to say, ''Look, it's a damn game. Just shut up.''
lf only they'd move as fast with the trash as they do with the ball.
He can twirl Dick Butkus over his head but ask him to pick up his underwear....
So how come you didn't go to Kansas City? Didn't they want you?
Yeah. The Chiefs made me an offer.
But l figured a black man had a better chance in Chicago.
That must be nice to pick and choose.
Must be nice not to have to worry about...
...what city a white man has a better chance in.
Still, it has to be good to be you. l'd love to know what that feels like.
What are you talking about?
Well, what does it feel like to go to sleep at night and know you're there?
Know you got the talent and everybody sees it.
-What does it feel like? -l don't know what you mean.
Yeah, you do. You're not just waiting for your chance. You got your chance.
You're out doing it. You're breaking records.
Last season six touchdowns in one game.
-l didn't break the record. -Yeah, but you tied it.
lt's no big deal, Pic.
Don't do that, Gale. Don't trivialize it. lt's insulting.
l just wonder if l missed something somehow.
You know, was l supposed to zig instead of zag somewhere?
-Want to know the truth? -Maybe.
l don't feel like l've got anything.
lf l do, l'm just renting it for a while.
You're waiting for something to come.
l'm wondering when it's all going to go.
And l don't know which is worse.
Still, l envy you. l can't lie.
Maybe l envy you. l mean, look at you.
You wash out of football, you can do anything you want.
You can sell yourself, you can make speeches.
l didn't even graduate from college. Signed to the Bears right out.
My knee goes, my game goes...
...what else do l do?
You have to scratch stand-up comedian from the list right off the bat.
No cheating!
Attractive, ain't it?
-Why don't you try a lozenge? -l always get a cough in the winter.
Hey, Pic...
...l wanted to...
...l wanted to tell you something.
The suspense is killing me, Gale. What?
l was ready to give up.
l appreciate everything you did for me.
That's it.
l owe you.
You don't owe me anything.
l was just fatting the calf.
Now he owes me.
l've been putting this in Kurek's deodorant stick for a week now.
No.
lt's a miracle the man can even raise his arms at all.
-You're bad, man. You are bad. -You check yours?
Looking good, Gale. Looking real good.
Thanks, Coach.
We'll have a scrimmage on Friday, see how it stands up to contact.
Okay.
What are you looking at, Piccolo?
Just your fine, chiselled face, sir.
Have you noticed how good the rookies look this year?
That Ross Montgomery, very impressive.
And he talks very nicely to me.
l wouldn't be surprised to see him replace you as number two halfback.
Because l'm going to make you number one fullback.
You and l start backfield. Hey, Coach, look at him.
He actually has nothing to say. Can you believe it? lt's a first.
That's right. You and l.
Yes. Come on, give me some skin. Come on.
l've never seen someone eat so much and never gain a pound. This is crazy!
l consider it my job. Last week l was down two pounds.
-Time for another cannoli. -That's disgusting.
l want to lose a pound, l eat cottage cheese for a week.
-All he has to do is go to bed. -l got to keep up with this guy.
l need all the red meat and pastry l can get.
Here's to the number one fullback.
Thanks for putting Gale back on his feet.
And for putting up with him so l didn't have to.
And wait, here is to the number one running back.
l'm glad they let me join him, because l could never beat him.
Come on, now.
What do you say we go stretch our legs?
ln other words, the World Series is on at the bar. Go.
Oh, really?
-We'll be right back. -Okay.
So, how are you doing?
Okay. Better.
He's a human being again.
l was asking about you.
Yes, this thing with his knee.
lt really turned me around.
One night in the hospital, Gale said his career was over.
Just for a minute, l believed him.
He was so convinced. Then l had this thought:
''Who am l now?''
lf this thing with his knee ends his career does it end who l am, too?
l'm Mrs. Gale Sayers.
-That's what my mail says. -Come on.
Just because the press trivializes us...
...treats us like walking hairdos....
No, but it's different for you.
You used to be a nurse, right? l mean, that's a career.
That's something you could go back to.
-lf something-- -l guess.
Did you mind giving it up?
l wanted to be with Brian.
That was the bottom line.
When you're in football, you travel.
You don't know what city you'll be in next year.
So l agreed to ride sidecar for now.
Who knows what will happen 10, 12 years from now.
All l know is l don't want to be asking myself, ''Who am l?''...
...when those 10, 12 years are up.
l drove a Volkswagen that weighed less than you.
l'm a fortress. The rest of you guys are mere shacks.
All right, take the comedy routine somewhere else.
ls it true you've been tapped to be the NFL Good Will Ambassador?
Shut up and stand still.
-ls that your thumb on the scale? -Need a lot more than a thumb for you.
You're down another pound.
Yeah, but what's there is choice.
-Admit it. -You're the skinniest fullback there is.
Coach, you run the fat off of us, then you complain we're too skinny.
-You're a hard man to please. -Beat it.
And eat a sandwich!
You ought to tell your ltalian friend load up on the pasta.
Don't worry about him, Coach. He's trying to be quicker than me.
He's 10 pounds down over all, and a half second slower in the 40.
Slower, lighter.
l'd say the plan ain't working.
Sorry if l woke you.
You okay?
lt just won't quit tonight.
lt's been hanging on a long time.
l've had a cough and a cold every winter since l was a teen.
Not this bad.
Allergies. l'm all clogged up.
Who do you think you're talking to?
lt's time to call a doctor. Now are you going to do it or am l?
No one is calling any doctor!
The team has had me poked and prodded from head to toe.
l'm not about to let the old man know l'm getting winded. lt'll pass.
What's the matter? You all right?
There must be 90 million pounds of pollen in the air.
Hey, Doc? You got anything for Pic?
-He says he's got allergies. -l already gave him the spray.
Hey, Doc!
Coach?
-Gale? Good game. -Thank you.
So, what's with your roommate?
l don't know what you mean.
All right, he's got allergies.
-l don't know what it is. -l'm sending him back to Chicago.
Ralph Kurek is going to play in his place.
-Why? -lt's always been the same on this team.
Best player plays, no exceptions.
But, Coach, a lot of guys take awhile to get back on track after a season.
Slow starters--
But Piccolo has never been one of those guys.
He's always been in shape. He's always played his heart out.
Even if he made mistakes. He's not doing that anymore.
-lt's not fair, Coach. -Don't give me that high school crap.
There's what's fair to the team and that's all.
Maybe it's something physical with him. Maybe it's something personal.
But whatever it is, he better straighten it out in Chicago.
He's too good to sandbag himself like this.
When is he going to find out?
Abe is telling him right now.
-Can you believe this? -Calm down, all right? lt's just two games.
l lose weight, l have a couple of off games and this team tells me to take a walk.
-What is that? -Look, go see the doctor back home--
No, l have been to the doctor here. He tells me l don't have allergies.
So why can't l breathe? Why am l coughing up a lung all day?
''Could be a virus. Could be a staph infection.
''Could be a million things. Have an aspirin, kid.''
l get better advice from my waiter at Len Tone's.
Look, just go fix it and come back.
You know, it's a waste of time, Gale.
l know exactly what's wrong with me.
l think l'm pregnant.
l don't know who the father is. lt's a mess.
That's not funny.
Could you not play with that?
That's okay.
Now l'm going to ask you to put your arms up.
Why can't it be done here?
The location of the tumour makes the operation a little trickier.
We've never done it here.
You'll be better off in a place like Sloan-Kettering in New York.
This....
-The tumour, what do you call it? -Embryonal cell carcinoma.
Yeah. How can l just have it all of a sudden?
Actually, you've had it all your life. Or at least the beginnings of it.
Sometimes at birth, embryonic tissue is left behind somewhere in the body.
ln this case, near your heart.
Somehow that tissue is triggered and becomes a foreign invader.
We don't know why.
To tell you the truth...
...l don't know how you've kept playing with that.
Anyone else would have been in bed two months ago.
What happens post-op?
We check the surrounding nodes. Usually a course of chemo.
Look, l know this is scary.
Let's just take it one step at a time.
Let me get you set up in New York, and we'll schedule this for early next week.
Gale. Come on in. Close the door, please.
l don't know how to say this any other way, so l'll say it straight out.
We had a phone call from Chicago.
Brian Piccolo has cancer.
They found a tumour in his chest.
He's on his way to New York to have it removed.
ls he going to be all right?
lf they caught it in time, but nobody knows that for sure.
-He'll be out for the rest of the season. -Well, we still got a game to play.
-Who will tell the guys? -l will.
-Get them together. -l'll tell them.
l'll tell them.
All right, guys, listen up. Sayers wants to say something.
You all know that we give the game ball...
...to the best player.
l want to change that a little today.
We just got word that Brian Piccolo is sick.
Real sick.
l think that we should all just dedicate ourselves to...
...win this ballgame and give the game ball to Pic.
l mean, we could all sign it and go down to the hospital...
...and give it to him.
Let's just win, okay?
When you dedicate a game to somebody, Gale...
...the idea is to then actually go ahead and win that game.
We had no one playing full offensive benchwarmer. What do you expect?
Pic, make sure you count the instruments after the operation...
...because my cousin had a sponge and tweezers left in him.
Sick.
They can leave a bicycle in there for all l care as long as they take everything out.
lf l could take this to the bar with me l'd never have to get up.
What's going on? Get out of here, right now!
What do you think this is, happy hour? Out!
All right, Pic. See you, Joy.
Out!
See you. Have fun with my mom!
'Bye, Mom.
-Be right back. -Okay.
-l'll see you tomorrow. -Yeah. l will see you on the other side.
Sorry.
l'll see you downstairs.
-How bad is it? -We don't know until we see if it spread.
-ls he going to be okay? -He's scared.
How are you?
l'm scared, too.
He keeps saying l can't cry, it's a league rule.
How are the kids?
They're with my parents in Atlanta. They don't know anything.
-Place to stay? -They have housing across the street.
What else do you need me to do?
Tell me l'll wake up in five minutes and he'll only have bronchitis...
...and when l walk out the door, we'll be on my street.
lt's going to be all right.
-Hi. -Let me have it.
Good arm.
l think it's time to ask Daddy for a new one.
Chew it, boys.
Don't just swallow it whole.
l haven't eaten this good since the Halas dinner.
l can't think of the old man retired. End of an era.
We missed you. The old man mentioned you.
l'm gone a few months, everything falls apart?
-You look good, Pic. -Yeah? Compared to what?
Compared to the first day you found out we were roommates.
lt's funny, Brian. Since you've been gone...
...l can lift my arms way up over my head.
-Want to see my scar? -No!
l'm eating.
So, talk to me.
They got it.
They found some in a couple of nodes, but they got it.
Good.
They said l'd never be home for this. Doctors, they don't know anything.
Must make you look at things, you know, differently.
See, that's what everybody says.
''You made it through, you must really appreciate life now.''
But you know what? l was appreciating life just fine.
l never took anything for granted.
l didn't need to get sick to suddenly love a sunset.
-l hear that. -Time for the piņata.
All right, Dad. Come on, put the burger down.
l'd like to eat my hamburger.
-You got daddy duties. -Dad is going to hit the piņata!
You're going to wake them up if you keep staring at them.
You got through it, Brian.
You came out on the other side.
lt's okay.
We have it all back now.
Time to sack out.
-What is it? -What the hell do you think it is?
This thing you want to do...
...l thought it was only done to women.
Well, a radical mastectomy is an equal opportunity operation.
But, yes, it is more common in women.
-l thought you got all the tumour. -We did. This is a new lesion.
ln the pectoral muscle.
Now the good news is, it seems to be contained.
So by removing the entire left pectoral, we should be okay.
Then what?
More chemo.
Yeah.
Listen up, Doc.
You do what you've got to do.
You cut me up whatever way you have to...
...but you leave enough of me left to get back on that field.
Because l am playing football again.
Do you understand me?
l will play again.
l understand.
And in the future, l would appreciate it if you didn't make my wife cry.
Yes, of course.
Don't tell me.
l've died and gone to heaven and the first thing l see is Coach Halas.
You're not going to go anywhere, kid.
And if when you crap out you see me, you know you didn't get to heaven.
Thanks for coming, Coach. l'm sorry l missed your dinner.
A lot of crocodile tears. ''Here's your hat, what's your hurry?''
lt was my time to go, that's all.
So...
...how's it going, kid?
l hear they roughed you up pretty good.
-No worse than you did last camp. -Well, the worst is over now.
Do you miss it, Coach?
Yeah.
You know, l've been thinking that with...
...with Gale's knee looking good and Kurek healthy...
...l'll have a tough time getting back in that line-up next year.
So maybe l could come back as a kicker.
l mean, why not, you know?
You probably don't need a lot of speed.
Not a lot of wind. What do you think?
l can see that. l can definitely see that.
And l'll be watching you, sitting under an umbrella somewhere...
...with a drink in my hand and one of those hula broads dancing around me.
Brian?
l know l scream and holler a lot, but that's just me.
But, you guys...
...you're like sons to me.
All of you.
So, l'm going to take care of everything.
You're never going to see a bill.
You're never going to put your hands in your pockets.
l'll take care of your contracts, and l'll pay your bonuses.
lf you have to go back and forth, l'll take care of that.
lf the kids have to be put on a plane, that's what Ed McCaskey is there for.
You're not to worry about anything.
You're not to worry about anything but getting better.
l can't let you do all that, Coach.
l still own this team. You'll make it up to me on the field.
So, that's the last order you're going to get from this coach.
Don't drop the ball.
All right, Coach.
l'm going to London next week to have my hips replaced.
Something new they have over there. That's why l had to retire.
l couldn't chase those officials up and down the field anymore.
You tell anybody about this, l'll kick your butt.
How you doing over there?
Really?
No football metaphors. No winks and nudges.
lt's hard to tell with all this pain crap they have me on.
l'm sore. And l can't feel my chest too much.
But l have this feeling.
What?
l have this feeling like everything will be all right.
Like l made it. Like we made it.
Hey...
...there have been enough tears.
No more. The rule, remember?
l know. l'm just so happy.
l can't wait to get out of here.
So far, l'm not getting the whole ''New York Fun City'' thing.
So...
...should l go and get the girls from Mom?
No. Let's wait.
Let's wait till l'm out of here.
l want them to see me on my feet, complete with some hair.
l love you.
Me, too.
They found more cancer.
ln his lung.
They want to take his lung out.
-Honey, let me do that. -No, it's better l keep moving.
l'm so sorry to call you like this and make you come all the way out here.
Just tell us what you need us to do.
They're going to tell him tomorrow.
l don't know how he's going to handle another blow like this.
l really don't.
Would you be with him, Gale, when they tell him?
Of course.
When l think about what must be going through his mind....
l should be over there.
l know exactly what to do. l should be doing it.
He wouldn't want that.
l can't lose him.
l can't lose Brian.
Protests then turned vioIent as the NationaI Guard moved in.
Some were arrested and there were some minor injuries....
l don't even recognize the world anymore.
lt's like it's all happening on some other planet.
lt is.
All l ever thought about was football.
The rest was just some din going on outside the stadium.
Well, there's one good thing, though.
l don't think l have to worry about the draft anymore.
We now return to our reguIarIy scheduIed program.
You do look for things you can check off the list.
And that one is a goner.
Where is this guy?
l want him to check me and get me out. There's too many sick people here.
Do you feel strong enough to go home?
l'd rather stick around for another week.
Why is everyone talking to me like l'm a child?
l want people to talk straight.
Look, l can understand why you're mad at me.
Look how mad l was and it was just my knee.
Sure, but that could have been a career killer.
What's going on, Gale?
Nothing.
You're a lousy liar.
Hello, Brian.
-Gale. -Hi.
Here comes some of that straight talk right now.
And the winner of the George S. HaIas Award...
...for the most courageous pIayer in pro footbaII is...
...GaIe Sayers.
All right.
I want to say a few words...
...about a friend of mine tonight.
His name is Brian PiccoIo.
He has the heart of a giant.
He has the best...
...and maybe the rarest form of courage.
Which aIIows him to Iaugh at himseIf...
...at Iife...
...and at his opponent, which today is cancer.
He makes me proud to have a friend that speIIs out courage...
...24 hours a day...
...every day of his Iife.
You fIatter me by giving me this award, and I thank you.
But I teII you here and now, I accept this for Brian PiccoIo.
It is mine tonight, but...
...it is Brian PiccoIo's tomorrow.
I Iove Brian PiccoIo, and...
...I want you to Iove him.
And tonight when you...
...hit your knees...
...pIease ask God to Iove him, too.
All of a sudden you're giving speeches at the drop of a hat.
Now nobody can shut you up.
What is that?
l've got to be obnoxious for both of us now.
Don't think it is easy.
-So how did it go? -Good. Good, I guess.
l do recommend two lungs when performing simple tasks however.
Like breathing.
Yeah, l hear breathing is overrated anyway.
Yeah.
Pollution and all that.
They told me you gave blood.
Just a little.
That expIains it.
What?
My cancer is gone.
But my knee is totally screwed up.
l got to go.
All right, man. You hang in there. l'll see you tonight.
l ain't going anywhere.
Hi.
How is he doing, Joy?
Really.
Hurry, Gale.
l love you, Joy.
What?
l love you.
-l love you. -lt's okay.
-l love you. -l know.
l love you, too.
-l love you so much. -lt's okay. l love you.
lt's okay.
-l love you so much. -l know. l love you, too.
l love you.
-lt's okay. -l love you.
And l need you.
-Are you okay? -They're changing his dressing.
He doesn't like me to be there.
lt's in his liver, now.
Does he know?
No one's told him, but he knows.
lf you only knew how much he talked about you.
How much he wanted to be like you.
Joy, there's got to be something that we can do.
Go and see him.
Okay.
-Have you had anything to eat? -l don't want to.
-You have to. -l'd feel like l was betraying him.
You should see your face.
You should see yours.
You want to laugh?
Okay.
The doctor...
...he told me l'd never play football again.
''No. You're kidding.''
l'm sorry, Pic.
No.
The thing is, l don't care.
l don't even care anymore.
lt's birthday parties l'm onto now.
Yeah.
lf l could just get a few more of those in.
Just a few more piņatas with my girls.
You know anyone who could arrange that for me?
You'll have plenty more.
Yeah. l know.
You taught me a lot about running, Gale.
l appreciate it.
More than you know.
l wouldn't be running if it wasn't for you, pushing me...
...busting my chops.
Well, l'll get you next training camp.
l'll be waiting.
l'm going to sack out for a while, okay?
Yeah. That's good.
l'll see you in the morning.
Yeah. Okay. l'll see you in the morning.
l see you in the girls' faces.
They have so much of you in them.
They won't forget you, Brian.
l won't let them.
And they won't let me forget.
Every time l look at them...
...or l listen to them...
...or l dream about them...
...l'll see you.
l'll always see you.