Chapter 709: 708 Sensation Throughout the City
Hunter was no fool; he couldn’t naïvely believe that Veach’s and Li Wei’s exchange was just a daily greeting. Yet, if it wasn’t, and their conversation was so simple, did it mean that Veach had chosen to trust Li Wei?
Deep breath, another deep breath, Hunter tried to calm himself down—
Hunter ultimately couldn’t hold back and stopped in his tracks, waiting in place.
Hunter kept calling out, pulling Li Wei to a halt, sneakily glancing around, fearing others might notice yet completely unaware that the more he did so, the more conspicuous he became, a perfect interpretation of acting guilty.
“What did the team manager just tell you?” Hunter lowered his voice.
But without waiting for Li Wei to speak, Hunter impatiently continued, “I’m telling you, the road is already paved, you just need to play along.”
Li Wei could only chuckle silently—
Was it that Hunter himself had limited thinking capacity, or did he think that Li Wei had limited thinking capacity?
Even now, did Hunter still think Li Wei would be manipulated like a Barbie doll?
Li Wei nodded slightly, his face sincere, “Yeah, that’s exactly what I did.”
Hunter frowned deeply, not hiding his confusion as he stepped back to scrutinize Li Wei more carefully.
Li Wei remained serious, revealing a smile, “Stay patient; good news will come soon, congratulations in advance.”
After speaking, Li Wei patted Hunter’s arm and then made a light fist gesture.
Then, walking past Hunter, he strode away.
Leaving Hunter standing there alone, his expression cloudy, unable to precisely discern his mood. It was a moment later that Hunter remembered he had forgotten the most important thing:
What exactly had Li Wei and Veach said to each other.
In some ways, Li Wei was right; it didn’t take long for Hunter to receive a message; the problem was—
It was not good news.
To be more precise, it was a piece of terribly bad news that caused a sensation across the entire social network, involving not just Hunter but the whole Kansas City Chiefs as well.
On Wednesday, as the entire League’s attention gradually converged towards Thursday night’s game, an unexpected voice disrupted the League’s plans.
A website based in Los Angeles, a gossip website that officially emerged after the millennium and climbed the internet summit at breakneck speed.
Initially, TMZ was no different from millions of gossip media and paparazzi, focusing on Hollywood’s actors and singers. But gradually, as the internet fully developed, they started to branch into other areas, including the sports world.
In 2009, golf superstar Tiger Woods was involved in a car accident, which was initially just an unfortunate incident. However, it unexpectedly spiraled into a scandal that involved drugs, alcohol, and addiction, only the tip of the iceberg. Nineteen mistresses gradually came forward, managing to outdo even a time management master, with four mistresses revealing their identities to show evidence and give interviews. Not only did they appear on television, but they also prepared to write and publish books, stirring up sensational controversy.
All this was unearthed by TMZ.
Moreover, the most unique aspect of TMZ, which set them apart from traditional gossip media, was—
It’s hard to imagine, a gossip media outlet actually being linked to authenticity.
In fact, as traditional gossip media were increasingly engaging in taking things out of context, fabricating stories, and exaggerating details, TMZ realized that the proliferation of blatantly false news online was becoming more frequent, more fabricated, and more exaggerated, degrading the thrill once associated with gossip.
Thus, TMZ took a different approach and started down the path of “uncovering the truth” —
Gossip, still gossip, but TMZ was keen on finding concrete evidence.
Over time, when a new piece of gossip emerged, people tended to be skeptical and waited until TMZ confirmed it before they truly believed it.
Such a situation was indeed absurd, but TMZ had indeed become the best platform for confirming the authenticity and correctness of gossip news.
TMZ and the NFL appeared together in a news headline in an unexpected way, but clearly, this was not good news for the NFL.
This time, TMZ’s focus was on football, targeting the reigning champions.
TMZ released a surveillance video from a hotel —
In the video, a man shoved and violently kicked a woman.
According to reports, TMZ stated that this incident occurred in February in Cleveland, just after the Kansas City Chiefs’ championship parade, and the man in the video was Super Bowl Champions’ second-string running back, Hunter.
A single stone caused a thousand ripples.
Furthermore, TMZ stated that the woman had already called the police and was preparing to sue Hunter; both the Kansas City Chiefs and the NFL League had been notified.
However… both the Kansas City Chiefs and the League had taken no action.
On the contrary, the woman later withdrew the charges and disappeared, and this incident didn’t even cause any attention on social media.
The implication from TMZ couldn’t be clearer, pointing directly at the team and the league.
A storm swept across the internet with lightning speed.
The more popular the Kansas City Chiefs became among fans, the more they were disliked, even hated, by others.
Finally, the detractors found their opportunity, with solid and sensational material, one after another almost losing their minds with excitement.
Condemnation, attacks, insults.
On social media, people expressed strong condemnation and disappointment at Hunter’s violent behavior; the violence shown in the video was clear and indisputable, and such behavior was unacceptable under any circumstances.
Moreover, the accusations were directed squarely at the Kansas City Chiefs and the League — from February to November, ten whole months, both the team and the League had ample time and space to conduct an investigation, but they did nothing.
Not only did they do nothing, but they may have even helped cover up the violent incident.
Even setting aside conspiracy theories and not discussing whether the Kansas City Chiefs and the League helped cover up the incident, the consistency and transparency of the League in handling football players’ violent behavior were seriously problematic.
In 2014, Baltimore Ravens’ running back Ray Rice knocked his fiancée unconscious in an elevator in a New Jersey casino and dragged her out.
Yet, the NFL merely suspended Rice for two games.
Only after strong criticism from the media and the public did the League extend the suspension indefinitely, and the Baltimore Ravens belatedly terminated their contract with Rice.
Similar incidents have not happened just once or twice over the years but are a widespread and recurrent disaster.
Moreover, it happened again this year.
The linebacker Reuben Foster, who came from the University of Alabama and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, was also charged with domestic violence against a former girlfriend.
One incident was in February, but the charges were later dropped; another was in November, and Foster still couldn’t control himself, leading his former girlfriend to finally decide to proceed legally after they broke up.
Subsequently, the San Francisco 49ers announced Foster’s termination.
However, with a turn around, the Washington Redskins signed this first-round linebacker, even though the NFL was conducting its own investigation into the Foster incident —
During the investigation, Foster was temporarily suspended from playing.
Clearly, the Washington Redskins did not care.
One after another, this is not an isolated phenomenon but a widespread one; teams and the league must face the issue and recognize its severity.
The whole city was in uproar.