Kelley Sabino, Interrupted In the original version of The Draft, the hero, Jon Sabino, had a wife named Kelley who was featured in several scenes. They were part of a dimension to the story where I tried to show Jon’s erratic home life—specifically, how much of a strain was often applied to the immediate families of those who drew their paychecks from either the league proper or one of their franchises. It’s no secret that coaches and front-office personnel often get up before the roosters and return home with the crickets. I can’t imagine what it must be like for not only the spouses but also the kids. Absenteeism is costly for everyone. If I remember correctly, I wanted to include this subplot because of an interview I’d seen with Titans’ head coach Jeff Fisher—he said he was home one day in the offseason when his young son suddenly said something out loud. Astonished, Fisher remarked, “Honey, he can speak!” to his wife, Juli. Juli’s droll reply was something along the lines of, “Yeah, he’s been doing that for the last three months, Jeff.” Along similar lines, I remember an interviewer once asking former Rams’ head coach Mike Martz if he ever watched Survivor. His reply—”What’s that?” Anyone who thinks the people in the NFL are overpaid for their services should remember the massive demands made on their energy, their spirit, and, perhaps most importantly, their time. No one gets to work at nine o’clock, and no one leaves at five. Remember the stories of Dick Vermeil, during his Philadelphia days, sleeping in his office all night? These guys give so much of themselves that it’s hard to believe they don’t end up in straightjackets. Kelley Sabino’s character was an attempt to cast a little light on this side of the NFL, but my editor and I wanted to stay within a certain page count, so she was relegated to a few minor mentions and no more. Still, I’d like to reinvestigate this subject in the future, as it’s worth exploring.