Wishbone #9: Closets are for Coats, Not People

Follow Casey Thompson, star quarterback for the Los Angeles Condors, as he struggles to come out of the closet and win - both on and off the field of play.

Casey Thompson emerged from Trish Gillespie’s office and walked up to the microphone bank that was set up in front of the office doors.  Flanking Casey, on both sides, were, Petrius and Annie Jackson, Trish Gillespie, Ginny Simmons, and Tuli Alapualo, a retired defensive lineman from the Chicago Bears and openly gay (after retirement) father of three. 

On the other side of the microphone bank were six television cameras and dozens of reports, ranging from ESPN to local and national news shows.

“Thank you, everyone, for coming to this press conference on such short notice.  My name is Casey Thompson, and I am the quarterback for the California Condors in the National Football League, and I am a gay American.

Wishbone #8: Monica Lewinksy, Revisited?

Follow Casey Thompson, star quarterback for the Los Angeles Condors, as he struggles to come out of the closet and win - both on and off the field of play.

Sunday, September 21, California Condors vs. Dallas Cowboys, Dallas, TX

1st Quarter:  On the opening set of downs, Tommy Tidwell, Casey Thompson’s backup is sacked simultaneously from two directions, leaving him with a concussion and a broken collar bone on his throwing arm.  In comes Casey Thompson:  Eight plays later, the Condors have a 7-0 lead over the Cowboys.

2nd Quarter: The Condors’ nickel back intercepts in the end zone, and Casey Thompson, on the first play of the set of downs, hits his friend Petrius Jackson on a post that turns out to go for 80 yards and a touchdown.

3rd Quarter: Casey throws two more TDs, including a bootleg back across his body to the opposite corner of the end zone to, again, Petrius Jackson.

Final Score:  28-0, Condors over the Cowboys

Wishbone #7: Late Nights and New Developments

Follow Casey Thompson, star quarterback for the Los Angeles Condors, as he struggles to come out of the closet and win - both on and off the field of play.

Riding the bench is never a lot of fun, especially when your replacement plays great, which is exactly how Casey Thompson’s replacement, Tommy Tidwell, did against the Atlanta Falcons.  The Condors won 34-13, with Tidwell going 22-36, 2 TDs, and not a single pick.   

Casey was glad to get back to L.A. after the game, just to get away from the team and get home.  With Tidwell and the Condors playing like they just did against Atlanta, Thompson was going to have a hard time getting back into the starting line-up, and he knew it.

Wishbone #6: A Long Trip Home, Part 2

Follow Casey Thompson, star quarterback for the Los Angeles Condors, as he struggles to come out of the closet and win - both on and off the field of play.

Casey Thompson’s plane back from Wisconsin got in to L.A. late, yet Trish Gillespie was still waiting for him at the gate.

“I can’t believe you are here at the gate, Trish.  It’s like having a wife.” 

“Lately, Wishbone, I been feeling more like your mom.  I have a car outside waiting.  Let’s get you home and then over to the Condors for late practice.”

“Yeah, that should be a riot.  That shit is over, starting today.  I’m getting my starting position back, period.”

Wishbone #5: A Long Trip Home, part 1

Follow Casey Thompson, star quarterback for the Los Angeles Condors, as he struggles to come out of the closet and win - both on and off the field of play.

After Sunday’s game, and Sunday’s post-game threat by Condors’ owner Vincent Elston, Casey Thompson had simply gone home and gone right to bed, exhausted.  Depression is great for a person’s sleep.  When the phone rang at 4 a.m., Casey was still groggy, although he had been sleeping since 5 p.m. the evening before.

Wishbone #4: Hell to P(l)ay

Follow Casey Thompson, star quarterback for the Los Angeles Condors, as he struggles to come out of the closet and win - both on and off the field of play.

Sunday, September 14, 2008, Condors Stadium, Los Angeles

First Quarter: The Condors start the game on defense, and it’s three and out for the visiting Arizona Cardinals. The Condors get the ball on their 43- great field position. Running a series of play-option passes, Casey goes 1-3 for 2 yards, and they punt. The Cardinals again go three and out, giving the Condors the ball on the 36. Casey goes 0-5, with 2 first downs coming from their running back. The Cardinals get the ball and score.

Wishbone #3: Back to The Shadows

Follow Casey Thompson, star quarterback for the Los Angeles Condors, as he struggles to come out of the closet and win - both on and off the field of play.

“Come on in and close the door.” Coach Commons was sitting behind his desk, and Coach Ocasek was seated in a chair. Casey Thompson took a seat next to Coach Ocasek. “First off, are you alright? Have you been to a doctor?”

“I’m fine, Coach. This was really nothing. I mean, not a big deal.”

Coach Commons sat in stone silence for a few moments, and then let it rip. “What the fuck is in your head, boy? I mean, just tell me, what exactly is going on in there? I ain’t even talking about whatever the hell you got into last night – I’ll get to that in a minute. I want to know just what the fuck is in your head, what you have been thinking about while you been playing football, because it sure as hell ain’t football!”

Two hours later, Casey emerged from the meeting, with one message clearly resonating in his head: play well on Sunday, or ride the bench the following week.

Wishbone #2: There’s got to be a Morning After, but Why?

Follow Casey Thompson, star quarterback for the Los Angeles Condors, as he struggles to come out of the closet and win - both on and off the field of play.

The phone was ringing, and Casey could see that there were over 20 messages on the machine.  He hadn’t even turned his cell phone on. God knows how many voice mails where on that…

Casey headed into the bathroom, and looked in the mirror.  Not a scratch on his face.  He took his shirt off, and he saw that he had huge bruises across his sides.  He couldn’t tell if they were from the game the day before – he had been sacked 3 times – if they were from the bar fight (some fight – he laid the guy out with one punch) or if they were from the cops when they arrested him (he had been “less than inclined” to go with them).  He turned on the shower, hot, and heard the phone ring again.  Might as well start answering it, he thought.

Wishbone #1: A Rocky Start

Follow Casey Thompson, star quarterback for the Los Angeles Condors, as he struggles to come out of the closet and win - both on and off the field of play.

Sunday, September 7, 2008, Los Angeles, California

“Coach Commons, James Myers here, Los Angeles Star-Times. I wonder if you could speak about the performance of your quarterback, Casey Thompson, today? It seems his struggles in the pre-season – as well as his poor performance at the end of last season – have kind of carried over to today’s game. Do you plan on starting him next week against Denver? Is Casey going to remain the Condors’ starter?”

Wishbone: Living Gay in the NFL

Casey Thompson, red-headed, farm-bred, American son, grew up in Wisconsin, back-ended into a starting QB role for Wisconsin State, won the Heisman, and was drafted Number One by the California Condors, where, as a rookie, he took the struggling franchise to the playoffs. Not bad, considering he did all this while living in the closet.

Now, it's year two of Casey's life in the NFL. A year that begins with things not going so well, on and off the field. Things long-repressed are coming to a boil. As the season, and our story, begins, Casey Thompson has bombed in game one, and follows that up with a bad turn at a local bar, as he (doesn't) deal with the heart of his problems: who he is as a gay man.

Follow Casey Thompson through a pivotal season in his life. Pivotal for his career as an NFL quarterback, and pivotal for his career as a human being.