“I know,” I said. “Neither did I.”
That was the turning point.
Soon he was training coaches at the center.
The next months weren’t easy. He was guarded, then grateful, then uncomfortable with that gratitude. Therapy made him sore and irritable. His consulting became steady work, but he had to adjust to being in professional spaces without feeling out of place.
Then he began mentoring injured teens. Speaking at events. Saying things no one else could say as honestly.
One kid told him, “If I can’t play anymore, I don’t know who I am.”
Marcus said, “Then start with who you are when nobody’s clapping.”
