He’s DJ Ryan, an All-American wide receiver about to graduate high school. But he’s still in the shadow of his All-American quarterback brother Trey Ryan and his dad, college football national championship coach Junior Ryan. Why not join them at Hamilton State University in Texas for glory and a title, while kickstarting a future NFL career and financial security? Even if it is tough for him to be in the same room with his dad.

However, there’s a couple of complications. Football likes its heroes to be men who get turned on by women, but DJ’s attracted to people regardless of what sex they are or aren’t. He doesn’t advertise that, just like his mother doesn’t advertise that she left his dad for a woman of her own.

Then there’s DJ’s love for the other sport known as football – soccer. He’s a talented striker for both high school and semipro teams. By coincidence, a scout from the Premier League club Donford FC in London notices him by chance and offers DJ a tryout.

Is he going to head to the NFL, or cross the Atlantic and take a risk on the unknown? And will he live life in the shadows or out in the open?

About the Author

Born just outside of Chicago, Jason Liegois has lived for the majority of his life in the Eastern Iowa area. A graduate of the University of Iowa, Liegois spent 12 years as a full-time and freelance journalist with various eastern Iowa and western Illinois papers, including the Muscatine Journal, Quad City Times, and Clinton Herald, among others, and then began a teaching career. He now works as a secondary school language arts instructor in south central Iowa, having previously taught as a special education instructor, and having also previously taught composition with Muscatine Community College and Upper Iowa University. He and his wife, Laura, have two children.

Jason’s writing blog, Liegois Media, has been up and running since 2017. He’s also active on Substack and Facebook