[Sean is recruiting players for the new football team]
You wanna play football with this team, you're gonna live with the team, eat with the team, and work with the team.
MP Miguel Perez
Is practice gonna be hard?
It's a lot harder than five homeboys beatin' up a security guard, Perez.
KB Kenny Bates
I don't know.
Yo. I'll play quarterback.
You got any experience, Leon?
Man, I got so much experience I could give some away and still have more than I could use.
JP Junior Palaita
I'll play.
'Cause you got no discipline. You'll be tryin' to start fights every time I turn my back.
J Junior
You ain't even gonna give me a chance?
You've had plenty of chances. Who else? How 'bout you, Owens? You played defensive back, didn't you? For Washington? [Kelvin doesn't answer] You wanna check your calendar and get back to me? Or maybe you got another liquor store to rob.
KO Kelvin Owens
Yeah, I'll play.
JE Jamal Evans
I mean, I played Pop Warner when I was younger but that's about it, though.
BW Bug Wendal
I got experience. I played for, like, three years.
What position'd you play?
Was that out to the side on offense or defense?
B Bug
If the ball's thrown from... man, I don't know what I'm talkin'.
All right, Bug. How 'bout you be water boy?
DM Donald Madlock
Yo, Mr. Porter. Can I play?
You're getting out in a week, Madlock.
M Madlock
I wanna stay in.
M Madlock
Yeah, man. South Central in summertime gets hot. Gets crazy. People start shootin' each other and stuff.
I'll talk to your case worker. All right?
[To Willie Weathers]
New booty? What's your name?
Willie Weathers Willie Weathers.
Get vertical when you talk to me. [Willie stands up] You any relation to Roger Weathers?
Willie He was my cousin, man.
I want you to play on this team, Willie.
Willie Naw, man, it's a'ight.
Willie Why?
'Cause I want you to live longer than your cousin.
Hey. Who we gonna play against?
[Sean breaks up a fight between two players, both of whom are from rival gangs]
What was that about?
Willie Man, just send me to the boxǃ
No, you start trouble on a football field, we finish it on a football fieldǃ
Willie I ain't doin' shit wit 'imǃ
Willie Was his set smoked Rajaǃ
K Kelvin
88s killed my best friendǃ
Shut upǃ How long your sets been at war?
K Kelvin
Ancient times, dude.
How'd it get started? You even know?
K Kelvin
They started that shit, dawgǃ
Willie Man, that's a goddamn lieǃ
Shut upǃ Willie, lemme ask you something. How'd you feel when Roger died? Did you cry? How 'bout you, Kelvin? How did you feel when your friend was killed? Did you cry?
K Kelvin
Yes, sir, I did.
Yeah. So it's just gonna go on like this forever? Killin' each other 'cause ya live five blocks in the wrong direction? How 'bout we call a peace right here? [Both boys refuse] Goddamn it, why not?!
Willie I mean, we just, like, little gangsters. It wouldn't even mean nothin'.
It'd mean somethin' here. Right here, right now, it would mean somethin'.
[After the Mustangs have lost 38-0 by the Barrington Panthers]
First one is always the toughest. We made a lotta mistakes out there today. All of us. Me too.
Willie No shit.
They were ready. They've been playin' together for three years. We've been together for three weeks. Lemme tell you somethin' else. I still don't believe that they're 38 points better than you. I still don't believe they're the better team. I would not trade you for them. I want you to hold your heads up high. We got nine games left. We're just gonna have to work harder.
[Sean visits Willie, who has been sent to "the box" after getting into a fight with an inmate]
I just got back from the hospital. Kelvin's gonna be okay.
Willie Better for me if the **** was dead.
Ya think so? I really don't think it matters 'cause you're screwed either way, Willie. Your homeys know what you did yesterday. So you go back to the hood, they're gonna put a bullet in your head, 'cause they think you're not down for the set anymore. No matter what you say now. You know what? I think they're right.
Willie Manǃ [Lunges at Sean before being put into a chokehold]
You better be good to me, asshole, 'cause I'm all you gotǃ [Lets go of Willie]
Willie Man, **** youǃ [Throws a pillow at Sean, who grabs it and throws it aside]
Who else cares about you?!
Willie I don't need nobody elseǃ
You don't give a shit about me or anybody elseǃ
Willie Man, that's rightǃ
Then why'd you try to save Kelvin yesterday? Huh? Answer me thatǃ Why'd you side with the enemy over your own homeboy?
Willie Man, 'cause-a youǃ And this damn football team, manǃ
That's bullshitǃ You made a choiceǃ
Willie No, I didn'tǃ I ain't even what was happenin' to meǃ It was just so... everything so quickǃ I don't what's happenin' to me, man.
I do. You're not the loser you were when you first got here, Willie. You're just not used to bein' a winner.
Willie My father said I was a waste of his time and his money.
Your father was a loser, Willie. My old man was the same way. He spent so much time tellin' me I was no good, tellin' me I was nothin'. I believed him.
Willie That why you so pissed off all the time?
Yeah, that's probably got somethin' to do with it. [Sits down with Willie] I know how you feel, Willie. You get to the point where you expect to screw up. You expect to fail. If we wanna win, we gotta let 'em go. Forgive 'em and move on.
Willie Forgive 'em?
Forgive 'em. Otherwise we give 'em too much power over us. And they don't deserve it.
Willie Well, how long it take you to forgive your dad?
[Stares deep into space and thought for a moment]
Till just now. Till just now.
Willie Kelvin's gonna be okay?
Willie Whole football team's done, though, huh?
