Those are texts and e-mails your son and Eric exchanged
before the party.
Rollins: It was like you were flirting? I told you that.
How is any of this rape? I never said "yes!"
Mateo doesn't deserve suspension.
Evy was being harassed. He was protecting her.
All Mateo was doing was acting like a thug!
I don't want to go to Leyland anymore.
I want to go back to Marshall.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
Anne: The police called.
They're not gonna arrest anybody.
There are not gonna be any charges.
I need to know from you that this is over,
that you're done putting us through this.
Are you gay?
Mom said that's why you tried to kill yourself.
Leslie: Eric Tanner's return has to be a display of tolerance.
We don't have to change what people believe.
What we have to change is how they perceive the issue.
[ Sighs ]
[ Birds chirping ]
[ Net swishes ]
Dan: He's your friend.
He's your fellow student. He's your teammate.
And we have to be ready to welcome Eric back.
We have to be leaders.
We have to show other people how it's done.
Now, Eric's no different now
than how he was before he became --
before we f-found out his -- uh, about his orientation.
Now, we have to finish out the season.
We have to finish it out strong.
We -- we still have a chance to do good things,
on and off the court.
And that begins with how we welcome back one of our own.
Wes: For real, coach, he's gonna be taking showers with us?
[ Scoffs ]
That's messed up, man.
Don: What you're doing is godless.
It's against everything Leyland stands for.
We had an agreement.
This school has always been about values.
You may not agree with them, but you don't get to promote some alternative agenda.
We sat at this table, and we agreed...
No, you all on the executive committee -- ...That
we would welcome Eric back to this school,
and we would do it in a way
that demonstrated the best qualities of the school.
I got Bashir's e-mail. He's e-mailing.
Do you all not even understand the need for discretion?
We've got kids at this school -- children --
and it's like you're trying to indoctrinate them.
It is more critical that -- you're normalizing deviant behavior.
You don't get it. You don't get it.
The mother of the boy who says he was assaulted
has filed suit against us.
For what? Negligence. Failure to protect.
Somebody's trying to involve us in something every other week.
That's why we have lawyers.
That's how you want to handle it?
Just throw it on the pile and hope it self-corrects?
It's not about the lawyers.
We have shifted this situation
from an entire team of boys facing arrest and prosecution
to just a hysterical mother taking some last stab
at civil restitution.
We need to manage public perception.
You do that by welcoming back a confused young man
who almost took his own life.
It's insane you would let your own biases prevent the school
from taking advantage of the situation.
Now, don, when you had your...Issues,
many of us at the school were willing to look past --
don't turn this on me.
If that kid didn't rape some boy,
he got drunk and had sex with him at a party.
You don't get to make a hero out of him.
Handle all of this. End it now.
[ Door opens, closes ]
Grace.
Yes?
I need to set a meeting with legal.
And I also need the assembly.
I want to keep that on the schedule.
The assembly? The assembly for Eric Tanner. Yes.
And I also need a writer -- a really good one.
If he's openly gay, that would be best. Okay.
E-mail the queries on my behalf.
Make sure you lead with Leyland's commitment
to inclusiveness.
The people from the seminar called again.
Which? They want you speak at that,
uh, crisis management in the age of social media.
As this school is facing a lawsuit.
Well, they want to recognize you for it.
With lunch at the airport ramada.
It's next week -- Thursday. Maybe.
You should go. It's your kind of people.
Did I catch sarcasm?
Check with somebody. Get me a writer. Get me one today.
[ Door closes ]
[ Keys jingle ]
Hey.
You take the car?
I just went to the rec center.
Well, I need to know where you are. Okay?
So please don't take the car without asking.
Hey. Don't walk away from me.
What?
Well, I'm trying to talk to you.
What do you want to talk about?
Shower up and get dressed.
I'll drop you two off at school.
I don't want to ride with him.
Well, you got to get to school.
Not with him. I don't want to be around him.
Mom doesn't -- Peter!
Enough.
Just take him. I'll get to school on my own.
[ Water runs ]
Marckel: The school has answered the complaint.
They've either denied or admitted insufficient knowledge
to admit or deny each complaint.
[ Scoffs ]
I mean, what else are they gonna do?
They can deny it.
That doesn't mean it didn't happen.
They've also set for an affirmative defenses
as to why they shouldn't be held liable.
Well, what does that mean?
Reasons the suit should be dismissed.
[ Sighs ]
The school knew about the party.
They knew about the drinking. They knew things were wrong.
I mean, I -- there -- there is a way --
a way of doing things at that school.
You've had one parent come to you --
one parent who alleged a cover-up at that school.
If you don't want to go after this, I'm gonna -- I want to go after this in a way
that actually gets you the satisfaction you're looking for.
We can take our chances in court, and it is a chance.
You have one witness who can support
some of what your son's been saying.
Or we can push for a settlement.
I don't want the money. I want to get them into court.
Everything they do, how they do it -- I want it out in public.
That's not gonna happen if we settle.
Whatever it takes.
At this point, you know, whatever.
What's up, hmm?
Something's going on?
[ Sighs ]
It's like... Things are almost real.
Almost?
What's almost, boy?
I mean, you got a lot going on.
How come you can't tell me nothing?
I got to go.
You already missed first period. You might as well hang.
No, I got to... Go see my therapist.
[ Laughs ]
For what?
I promised my mom.
She, um...
She wants me to talk about --
about what happened to me.
Are you still tripping on that?
For real, the only thing that happened to you
is you had a 3:00 A.M. hookup.
Look, you went to go hit it with some dude,
you got lit up, and you freaked out.
But nothing happened at that party you didn't want to happen.
You don't know what happened.
Yeah?
You don't like it rough?
You don't like it when I do that?
You don't like that?
I don't like it.
Look, just -- just stay with me some.
Okay?
Got to go.
Curt: Listen, I know this hasn't been easy.
But we've got to --
we've all got to get it together for your brother.
And the family is how it is.
And this is -- it's hard, but we have t--
[ indistinct shouting ]
What the hell?
[ Chanting in Spanish ]
What are they -- stupid stuff.
[ Chanting continues ]
I'm gonna walk you in.
I'm okay.
I'm not gonna let you walk through all of t--
they've been out there all week. What do you care now?
[ Indistinct shouting ]
Esposito: How's your mother doing?
She's...
I don't know.
Is she coping?
I don't know.
Most times, she's at work.
When she's not, she's with lawyers or police,
someplace except with me.
And how does that make you feel?
That's such a bull... Question.
My mom is obsessed because of what happened to me.
All she does is try to fight that school
because of what happened.
How do you think that makes me feel?
If I knew the answer, I wouldn't ask.
It makes me feel...
You don't know what you're feeling
or... You can't describe it?
I just -- I want to know when
I can start to move away from it.
My mom won't let me.
I'm...I'm seeing a guy, and he doesn't get it.
And the thing that...
Look, if I --
if I got dragged in an alley somewhere,
I co-- I could just stop walking past that alley.
But this ass...Who did what he did -- he -- you know, he --
pictures still come up that he is in.
I still see posts that he's commented on, that he's liked.
He -- you know, he doesn't hide from what he did.
He doesn't have to.
He's -- he's in my space. He's on my phone.
Without even trying,
he gets to do what he did to me again every day.
What did he do?
Have you been doing any of your exercises?
No.
It's part of your therapy.
[ Sighs ] It's a waste.
You're having problems
articulating the things that you're feeling,
what you've been through.
And writing it in some book does what?
Expressing yourself in a journal gives a name
to what you have to confront, and you need to confront
everything that you're dealing with.
You don't want to let yourself get overwhelmed by the stress.
Are you saying that 'cause of my mom?
I'm saying it because that's how it happens.
And...And how do you know that this --
this journal thing does any good?
I've been practicing psychiatry for --
yeah. You study. You practice.
But have you ever had to get a little book and write down
all the bad things that happened to you one night?
I didn't have to get a book.
I've had several.
[ Birds chirping ]
Mike: The allegation basically thrives
on the substantiation of one witness --
the accuser's girlfriend.
She wasn't there when it happened.
She saw Taylor directly before
and directly after the alleged assault.
She can speak to his physical state and his state of mind.
She claims he was emotionally distraught
and physically incapacitated.
She's his girlfriend, not a doctor.
How much weight is anybody gonna put on what she says?
Her story has been unwavering.
And she would play well in the court of public opinion.
Look, from a simple legal perspective,
this, uh, "tradition" at the captains' party --
"making the team"... Mm.
...it was an excuse for students to have sex.
If people connected to the school knew that,
that is failure to protect.
One good witness --
that's the wedge that cracks everything open.
So discussing a settlement...
Mm. I sat across from that woman.
She's not gonna take the money.
Put a check in front of people,
their opinions aren't always as resolute.
She wants us to bleed in public.
It's a settlement or it's court. That's pretty much it.
[ Inhales deeply ]
This can be handled.
It just...It can.
Anne: And these people think they can't be touched.
They think they can do whatever they want to whoever they want
and nobody's gonna do anything about it. [ Bell rings ]
It's not my problem.
You know, your daughter got hurt, too.
By your boy. He lied to her.
He's confused about himself.
He -- I know that he cares about Evy.
I had the father of a girl sit and tell me
about how his daughter got abused by that school,
and they protected the teacher that did it.
I mean, this stuff keeps happening.
We got to do something about it.
You keep putting this on us. This is not even our school.
I know.
I just want to know that I have your help, Evy's help.
I've got to get back to work.
[ Door opens, closes ]
[ Sighs ]
[ Chanting in Spanish ]
[ Horns blaring, honking ]
[ Cheering ]
[ Indistinct shouting ]
[ Chanting continues ]
Alejandro: I want to help kids.
I want to do what's right for them.
I want to teach. I want to be in class.
This is a bad position to be in.
I mean, every day I have to cross that line,
to a lot of people, it looks like I'm --
looks like what?
Looks like you're doing your job?
Looks like I'm a traitor.
Who's saying that?
I have a responsibility to do what's right.
Then there's no problem.
[ Sighs ]
If the cops do something bad to a black kid and black people
start protesting, you're gonna cross that line?
[ Scoffs ] This is not even close to the same thing.
Isn't it?
Disciplining three kids who got into a fight --
that's the same as a black kid getting shot in the street?
I'm saying -- you wouldn't do it for your people?
Everybody in this school -- they're all "my people."
Not the ones who got kicked out.
[ Chanting continues in distance ]
So, I'm here to reach kids.
I can't do that if I'm on the wrong side of things.
I'm gonna take a couple days, take some time off.
When things settle down --
if you're going to stand there and willfully tell me
you're taking time, I'm going to have you dismissed.
Well, I got a union, so you won't be doing that.
[ Door opens, closes ]
[ Sighs ]
[ Chanting continues in distance ]
Eric: Things have changed.
I've been through a whole lot these last couple of weeks.
And I can't pretend that I'm the same person I was before...
...before all this, but that's the thing.
I don't have to pretend anymore.
That's what's great about being back here --
I can be who I am.
Everybody here -- the team, coach Dan, the --
the staff and -- and everybody --
all they care about is --
all th-- all they care about is that respect and dignity
and that every person can be the person,
the s-- the student --
every student can be the person that they really are.
I'm thankful to my coach and my team
and...To the school for --
for giving me the chance, for the first time in my life,
to really be Eric Tanner.
[ Applause ]
[ Applause stops ]
You know, let him hear it, huh?
[ Applause ] Yeah.
Let him hear it, guys. Let him hear it!
Eric is about the bravest young man I know.
And it is so good to have him back as a student,
back as part of the team.
And I just -- I just want to remind all of you that you're --
you're a big part of this team, as well.
And it's gonna take all...
Leslie: How does it feel?
How does it feel to be back?
Uh...It feels okay.
Yes? Yeah.
Well, we're happy that you're back, that you're healthy.
The things that you've been through --
well, what that family put you through --
nobody should have to deal with that. Nobody.
But...
[ Sighs ]
But we're dealing with ignorance,
and the only way to deal with ignorance is through education.
People -- they just -- they -- sure.
They're scared of what they don't understand.
We have the opportunity to do something about that.
There's a writer.
He does online pieces about young men who are coming out --
their difficulties, their struggles, their success.
He'd really like to speak with you.
A-about what?
About your experience as an openly gay athlete.
Uh, I haven't had any experience.
You've literally survived
more than a lot of young people in your situation have.
That means something.
Anyway, he's excited to talk to you.
We'll have him here ahead of the game.
You'll do fine.
[ Door opens ]
[ Chuckles ]
Well, that's a good way to get shot.
Got the spare key from mom.
Don't you have school?
Yeah.
Don't put me in the position of having to cover you.
I-I can leave.
I could just go run the streets or whatever.
[ Chuckles ] Well, if you're gonna do bad things,
you can just go ahead and do them.
You don't have to come here and announce them.
[ Tab pops ]
You didn't even snatch yourself a beer?
Is that how much of a bad boy you are?
[ Sighs ]
So...?
I-I wanted to talk.
I'm listening.
I messed up.
How?
Lied.
About?
[ Sighs ]
Taylor, your mom doesn't care if you like girls or not
or if you're --
nobody who cares anything about you gives a damn,
this way or that.
Now, it would be easy for me to say
that you should have told your mother the truth
about...Being... How you are.
But -- but she's strong, and she can take it.
She's got problems.
You know that.
She's not how she was before.
This, I do know.
She's never home.
She, um...
She can't let go.
They're making her...
They are making her crazy.
She's doing what she's doing because she loves you.
The people who love you -- nothing changes for us.
Remember we used to go to the colts' games?
[ Laughs ]
Every time you could, you'd take me. Yes.
Remember we stopped going?
Well, you -- you stopped wanting to go.
Do you know why?
They were playing the packers one time.
They were getting -- getting killed.
And you started screaming, "stop playing like queers.
Quit playing like a bunch of queers," loud as you could,
over and over, right in front of my face.
Same man who spent eight months raising me,
screaming about queers.
Do you remember that game, Nate?
I remember that game.
Why are you telling me this?
I'm talking with someone,
and he tells me I've got to...Confront things.
So... I'm confronting things.
[ Refrigerator door opens, closes ]
It isn't working how it is. Hmm.
Us being apart now -- the boys ask for you.
[ Scoffs ] They do. They ask.
If you were here -- if I was here, w-what?
W-w-what would it do?
I have been here 17 years,
and -- and that one -- he tried to kill himself.
He is gay. He raped some other boy.
He -- he said it was consensual.
You know what I keep thinking?
I keep thinking if Peter hadn't been there
when Eric took those pills, if he hadn't...Found him...
I do.
I think that.
We could have at least buried him as our son.
We can't even take him to church anymore.
Then we should be at a different church.
No, we should have been at church more.
And you should have been around more.
You should have taught him how to be a man.
And now he does this -- you just -- you accept it.
No.
I-if he drank, y-you wouldn't take it.
If he stole, you wouldn't let him. We need to help him.
That's the only way we can make him better.
Better? H-how?
If we -- if we get him into counseling --
how does he get better?
This thing -- it doesn't go away.
They don't get better.
[ Sighs ]
Did you ever touch him?
What?
Did you --
why would...
...how could you...?
They get it from somewhere.
You think he's sick. You think I'm sick. They get this from somewhere.
You want to blame someone? You want to blame people?
You have pushed those kids away from you.
This last year, you have shoved them away.
But work was always first for you. I know I've had my crap, too.
You do...For a living, but that always came first. I
know, but this is where we got to get it together.
This is where we've got to figure it out for them!
Th-- that woman's trying to sue us.
She's trying to sue everybody.
Everybody else has got lawyers and money.
What does she want?
We don't have anything to take.
I go back to a-a crap apartment.
I just sit there with everything I have ever done wrong.
I... Just want to start over.
I just want to...
I just -- I want to start everything over.
The suit is basically a catchall.
She names the school,
she names the families of other players there -- our family?
Kevin.
She's going after Kevin?
He's 18. She named him independently.
Well, the police didn't do anything.
If there's nothing there for them, then what --
how long does she get to keep doing this, huh?
How long does she get to keep going after our child?
If we can get this dismissed --
and if we can't, then what?
Can we do anything for Kevin?
Can we even protect him?
[ Sighs ]
The hard drive's damaged -- probably a head crash.
Does that mean it's all -- the read/write head
scratched the drive and it's got a bad sector.
Did I lose everything?
Not everything.
I-I got -- I got family stuff on there. I got kids' pictures.
If the information's in there, the information's good.
I-I just got to get it out.
Just give me a day or two.
Okay.
Mia!
Mia, bring mercy! It's time to eat!
Sebastian: If 2 minus "I" is a zero
and the coefficients of the polynomial are real...
You see how that works?
[ Chuckles ] No.
You don't see how that works?
We did this one yesterday.
There you go.
[ Chuckles ]
How many words you got right there?
You did it.
Smart, just like dad.
[ Indistinct chatter in distance ]
[ Computer chimes ]
Yeah, Tuesday and Wednesday are the best.
Friday, Saturday, I can't do.
Terri: Your son is a whore!
Admit it.
He got drunk and had sex with another boy.
Ma'am. You need to go.
And you don't even care about what you're doing to my son. You need to go!
Right now! You're gonna get what's yours.
You need to go right now! You're gonna get what you des...
[ Police radio chatter ]
Ma'am, you got I.D.? Why?
Can I see your I.D., please?
We got a call about a disturbance at this restaurant.
You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?
No.
Okay, if you don't have any business here,
might want to move on, Ms. Lacroix.
I wasn't doing anything.
Got nothing to do, might as well head home.
[ Footsteps approaching ]
♪♪
[ Sniffles ]
How does all this make you feel?
With everything's that happened, how does it feel?
[ Chuckles ] People keep asking me that.
And...?
And I keep telling them, "how's what supposed to feel?"
Well, to be falsely accused of assault,
to be an openly gay athlete, to be a role model --
what's that mean to you?
I'm trying not to think about all that.
But that's what everybody else is doing.
All of a sudden, everybody's making a big deal of it.
I don't get it. [ Chuckles ]
Do you think you've made it easier
for other gay athletes to come out?
I don't know.
Probably not.
They see all this attention I'm getting,
they might want to hide out more
since all anyone wants to talk about is how I'm gay.
You are gay. That's not it.
But your coming out makes a statement. So, if you had a message --
one thing to say to your fellow gay athletes...
Look, I'm just getting back to school.
...who's hiding their truth from the world,
what would that be? I'm just dealing with this.
How come, all of a sudden, I got to speak up for every gay kid?
I've got nothing to say to them.
I'm gay, but I'm not a faggot.
Leslie: Everyone handles things differently.
Right now, Eric obviously isn't ready to handle
the responsibility of speaking to his circumstance.
Look, he said what he said.
He's a 17-year-old boy who has been through a lot.
It doesn't serve him, it doesn't serve anybody
for him to be judged by one unfortunate --
the "f" word is unfortunate?
It -- [ Sighs ] By one comment.
Why give people who are unaccepting of open athletes
an excuse to be intolerant?
I'll hold it back.
[ Sighs ]
It's the right thing to do.
Lara: Our kids need to be treated fair.
Man: Yeah. [ Applause ]
How's it look, you just suspending the latinos?
Looks like you're favoring the black kids to me.
[ Murmuring ] And for what?
A fight?
It's not a fight when three guys jump one guy.
It's assault.
Now, the boys were suspended for their actions, not their race.
Look, I don't want to punish kids, okay?
I-I want to solve the problem.
Jose: Then you need to stand up for what's right,
not for what's black.
[ Applause, cheering ]
Y'all need to respect.
If you handled your kids better --
whoa, whoa, whoa. L-listen, it's not about that.
You pull our kids out of school, you suspend them,
you were name calling. No, I wasn't, sir. I was --
you were against feeding our kids. That's a lie.
When's it going to stop?
Look... [ Scatted applause ]
Look, I-I know how it may feel to you,
but you need to understand I'm trying to do what's right.
My daughter joined the protest to speak her mind,
and now she's facing truancy court.
She cut school.
For holding up a sign.
Any student who's not attending class is marked absent.
That's a district rule, and that's beyond me.
That's true.
You're the principal here. How is that beyond you?
You keep saying you want to do right.
How is any of this right?
Look, I want to -- yes -- [ Applause ]
You're absolu--
[ stammers ]
Lewis: You did the right thing, holding the meeting.
What you don't want to do is
you don't want to look like you're running and hiding.
You've just got to confront these --
I'm not looking for confrontation.
You've got to engage folks directly, and you did.
I actually think some good is gonna come out of this.
People don't deal with issues until they're in front of them,
and now it's in front of them.
So now this is an issue.
It's not an issue. It's a reason to engage.
You saw some of them
were bringing up the breakfast program --
how you got me to sign off on changing it.
Chris, compared to what they're dealing with over at Leyland,
we look thoughtful and reasonable.
If this was gonna happen,
it couldn't have happened at a better time.
[ Sighs ]
Get some rest.
Yeah.
[ Indistinct shouting ]
Dan: Come on! Do something with it!
Eric's open down low!
Come on!
[ Cheering ]
What are you doing?! He was wide open!
[ Cheers and applause ]
[ Indistinct shouting ]
Man: Bitches! Man #2: Yeah, bitches!
Fags!
Man #3: Is that your version of "play ball"?!
Man #4: Way to go, ladies!
Together: [ Chanting ] Gayland high school!
[ Rhythmic clapping ]
Gayland high school! [ Rhythmic clapping ]
Anybody else want to eat?
Uh, yeah, sure. If you guys are going --
[ locker slams ]
Oh, he's got things to do, right?
Let him handle his business.
Come on.
[ Keys jingle ]
Kevin: I'm sick of this, man.
It's like a circus, you know?
Like a -- like a freak show.
Got us standing there, smiling and waving for what?
Because some dude gets off on dudes?
And then we got the other team jawing us like we some bitches.
No, man. He's the one.
Eric?
No, man. Eric is -- Eric is Eric.
I'm talking about the other one.
He came in there like some bitch trying to get turned out.
Look, my mom told me,
"bitches always trying to play you, always.
Always trying to play you, Kevin."
And that dude is a straight bitch.
He outted Eric, put my name out there...
Bitches, man.
And you know what the messed up part is?
It doesn't matter how crazy they are,
you got to treat them like they're real people.
You have to.
Back in the day, it would be like, "bop, bop."
Handle your business. It's done.
[ Chuckles ] For real, man.
But now, man, it's just --
bitches just get to act how they act.
And you can't do nothing.
Except he's not -- he's not a bitch, man.
He's a dude, so there's, like,
no reason that he can't get handled.
I'm out, bro.
I'm gonna catch y'all later.
All right.
Catch up with you later, man.
[ Cellphone vibrating ]
[ Click ]
Hello.
Eric: It's Eric.
Yeah.
We need to talk.
We need to talk about -- about what happened.
I know what happened.
Yeah, you do know what happened.
You do know.
People are getting messed by this. Real messed up.
You and me got to deal with it.
I'm gonna be at the rec center.
Don't be a bitch. Come around.
[ Click ]
It's all good. It's for the team.
-All right, man? -Yeah.
[ Dialing ]
[ Ringing ]
Mike: Mike o'brien.
Mike, it's Leslie.
I think -- I think it's time we start discussing
an offer of settlement.
[ Insects chirping ]
[ Breathing deeply ]
Michael: The decent are the ones who suffer.
The good ones just keep getting hurt.
Terri's a good one.
She's strong -- stronger than me, half the time.
And Kevin...
This woman -- she's trying to sue our son.
What type of person goes after a child?
And this is supposed to be his best year.
Now he'll have to carry these lies and accusations with him
for the rest of his life.
My family's my life.
The one thing that I can do is provide and protect, be a man.
I used to think get an education, get your money,
and nothing can hurt your family.
It is not like that.
I've done nothing for my family except let all of this happen.
So...
I need to start doing things, you understand?
No one's clean.
And everyone has things they want to keep hidden.
But it's out there.
That's just the world we live in.
Ken: Michael, I'm a cop.
What you're asking --
it's not for me.
It's for Terri. It's for Kevin.
All I'm asking is find a way to let this woman know
she's messed with the wrong family.