Lu Ke, a Chinese American, just three months shy of his twenty-second birthday, officially joined the San Francisco 49ers in August 2011. He became the second Chinese American player in NFL history to be on a team's active roster.
In 2010, Wang Kai, a Chinese American offensive tackle, was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round with the 140th pick. He became the first Chinese American player to enter the league. However, he never started a single game, only playing in six games as a rotational player last season, with a limited number of plays, and did not put up any impressive stats.
Just last week, the Buffalo Bills announced that they were placing him on the injured reserve list (see note).
The dream had really come true!
A mix of strong emotions, surging excitement, and immense joy rushed through his chest, making it difficult to breathe. The overflowing happiness created an urge to scream, yell, and cheer. And so, Lu Ke did just that.
Lu Ke clenched his fists, jumped high in the air, and punched his right fist into the air wildly. He used all his strength to release the excitement and emotion inside him. Every cell in his body was roaring, and every muscle was celebrating. Even his fingertips started to tremble slightly, as if the blood flowing through them had reached a boiling point.
This wasn't just about the past year. This long journey of a dream could be traced back to his childhood, to the first time he stepped onto a football field at the age of nine. From his first steps to all the hardships he faced, step by step, for the past twelve years, he had worked hard, sweated, and fought. And he had finally opened the door!
He knew that the world behind that door was even more dangerous, more brutal, and more difficult. He also knew that this was only the simplest first step on the road to success. But he was ready. He would continue to move forward with his head held high, and nothing would be able to stop him! He would break through all obstacles, climb over mountains, and sail through storms, always moving forward!
After the wild and crazy jumping and celebrating, Lu Ke finally realized that Tom was standing next to him, and he felt a little embarrassed. The momentary release of passion seemed to have gotten the better of him.
But Tom didn't care at all. He just stood there with a big smile. "The fans will love that kind of celebration, especially after you score a touchdown."
Even though his chest was still full of emotion and happiness was still bubbling over, Lu Ke forced himself to calm down. He smiled and said, "That's only if I get a chance to play." A backup quarterback is still a backup. In his senior year of college, Lu Ke sat on the bench for an entire season, so he was no stranger to it.
This bit of teasing made Tom smile. This rookie was talkative and quick-witted, and he was confident that the media would also like him. Of course, that was only if he got to play and win games.
"Where were we?" Tom went back to the main topic. "Oh, right, the lawyer. We need to hurry over there now." Tom motioned for Lu Ke to get into the elevator. After pressing the floor number, he thought for a moment. "The lawyers will explain the contract details, but there are a few things I need to know first."
"First, you are the team's third-string quarterback." Tom didn't explain further, but Lu Ke nodded in understanding.
Things were now clear. The San Francisco 49ers had decided to choose Colin Kaepernick as the team's starting quarterback, and the next four preseason games would be his stage. Alex Smith was the team's second-string quarterback, and it seemed his injury wasn't as serious as the media had reported. Alex could take the field at any time during the regular season to win back his starting position—it all depended on how Colin performed as a rookie quarterback.
Naturally, Lu Ke was the third-string quarterback, a backup to the backup.
"Second, what's your jersey number?" Tom asked. Lu Ke reflexively said "11," and then he saw Tom shake his head. "Alex is number 11, so you'll have to choose a different number..."
Tom was about to tell Lu Ke to think about it, but Lu Ke quickly added, "How about 14?" His birthday was November 11th. Besides the number "11," his favorite number was "14." "1" represented "11," and "4" represented the "four ones" in his birthday.
"Fourteen it is." Tom immediately made the decision.
Lu Ke couldn't help but wonder: The system had asked him for his jersey number before, and he had chosen "11." Now he had become "14." Was this a conflict? Or did the system's jersey number adjust to his actual real-life situation?
But his thoughts only lasted for a moment, and Tom continued. "Today is just about reviewing and explaining the contract. There won't be an official signing. Tomorrow morning, you'll need to come to the team for a full physical. We will only arrange the official signing after we get the physical report back."
"Understood." Lu Ke had no objections to this, as it was a standard procedure for signing with a team.
"Also, the team's training schedule will be sent to your email, so don't worry about that. But it's generally like this: Monday is a day off, Tuesday is for watching film, and Wednesday is the official report day at the team facility to begin training. Of course, it might change depending on the team's game schedule," Tom quickly explained.
During the regular season, Sunday was a regular game day, with most games starting on time in the afternoon. In addition, there were also Thursday, Sunday, and Monday night games. These three games would be broadcast nationally, and the viewership for each game would average around twenty to thirty million people.
The training schedule naturally differed depending on the game day.
Without stopping, Tom continued with another long segment. "Training time is 9 a.m. every day, and we'll let you know if there are any special circumstances. Also, I'll arrange for a nutritionist and a strength and conditioning coach to meet with you as soon as possible to give you a diet plan. But don't worry too much about those things right now."
"Oh, and one last thing. Your personal locker, your practice equipment, and your jersey will be arranged for you tomorrow, so don't worry about that either." After they left the elevator, Tom stopped. "So, do you have any other questions?"
"Could I have one of your business cards?" Lu Ke's answer made Tom smile with satisfaction, and he took out a business card from his jacket pocket.
However, Tom didn't hand it directly to Lu Ke. He explained, "Use the phone during work hours, email after work hours. For emergencies—and by emergencies, I mean any kind of accident, for example, if you get drunk at a bar and get into a fight with someone—you must call me. If you get an agent, have your agent call me as soon as possible."
As a journalism major, Lu Ke understood better than Tom what an "accident" was, but he didn't say much. He just nodded. "Understood." Then he took the business card and looked at it. He was still wearing his practice jersey and didn't have any pockets, so he could only hold it in his hand.
Tom pushed open the glass door in front of them and said with a smile, "My job here is done. See you tomorrow!"
After entering the office behind the glass door, a middle-aged man in a suit came forward. "Jonas Fish, the representative lawyer for the NFL Players Association. It's a pleasure to meet you."
In the United States, the union is a very important part of the process. In football, for example, for all of a player's contracts, legal matters, and personal interests, the union will step forward, in addition to an agent, to do everything in its power to protect the player and fight against the league and the team.
An unknown player like Lu Ke, who didn't have an agent, didn't have anyone to look over his contract. If he signed an unfair slave contract, he would have no one to turn to. To prevent this from happening, the league officially required a union lawyer to be present when a team signed a rookie or an undrafted rookie. Other players who were not rookies could also request this if they needed to.
"Lu Ke." Lu Ke stepped forward and shook the man's right hand. Jonas then smiled and said, "For the rest of the time, don't say anything. Leave everything to me. If you have any questions afterward, we can discuss them." So, Lu Ke did just that.
Law is a completely different field. For a journalism major, legal terms were not his area of expertise. After the San Francisco 49ers' official lawyer showed up, Lu Ke left everything to Jonas, and the two of them began to talk about the legal terms.
In fact, to protect the interests of rookie players, the league had clear rules about the minimum salary for rookie players. The minimum salary for a first-round pick was naturally the highest, but the league only set a minimum. The maximum depended on the agent's negotiation skills.
Undrafted rookies were also included.
Generally speaking, rookie contracts were standard and only had minor differences between teams. Despite this, Jonas meticulously discussed every detail, and the negotiation took about forty minutes before it was temporarily concluded. Afterward, Jonas borrowed a meeting room to explain things to Lu Ke simply.
"My personal suggestion is that you read every item of the contract in detail. If you have any questions, write them down in an email and send them to me, and I'll answer them," Jonas said, pausing for a moment. Most professional players didn't like to deal with these matters because they were too tedious and mentally exhausting.
But surprisingly, Lu Ke was still listening intently.
The corners of Jonas's mouth turned up slightly. "If you don't have enough patience to read the entire contract, I've highlighted the parts that are directly related to your personal interests. I think you'll want to pay attention to those." In fact, many players wouldn't even bother with those parts and would just sign it. "Finally, regarding the salary. The 49ers have offered a reasonable number, and I don't think there's any problem with it."
At Jonas's signal, Lu Ke looked down at the contract in his hand and saw a series of numbers. His eyebrows involuntarily rose slightly.
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