Sports Medicine Master System-Chapter 80 - 73: Why the Cramp (Part 3)

"There is one tricky problem, though. It’s Robinson. I discovered he’s been smoking weed," Chen Yu said.

Brian, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, heard his words and his eyes instantly shot wide open again.

After a full three seconds, Brian slammed his hand on the table and roared, "Fuck!"

"Chen, are you sure?"

Brian’s face darkened. If the media got ahold of this, the fallout would be every bit as bad as the situation with J Kidd.

Chen Yu nodded and pointed to his nose. "I have a very keen sense of smell. He has that scent on him. I’m positive he smoked before coming to practice today."

"Fuck."

Brian cursed again and slumped back into his chair in frustration. He yanked his tie loose, his brow furrowed into a deep knot.

If this were some benchwarmer, it would be a no-brainer. We’d tell him to pack his bags and send him right back where he came from.

But this was Clifford Robinson, the beloved Uncle Cliff.

He was the team’s long-standing starting power forward, last season’s top scorer, and he still had a three-year, $23 million contract.

Vigorously rubbing his temples, Brian asked, "Chen, how do you think we should handle this?"

When a player’s physical condition becomes an issue, the medical department shares the responsibility for handling it.

Chen Yu had already figured out his approach on the way over. "Brian," he said, "we can’t compromise or go easy on him with this. We have to take a hard line. If we don’t treat this seriously and just give him a simple warning, he’ll think he can get away with it again."

"So, we have to make him understand how serious this is. If he can’t quit for good, we might not be able to terminate his contract, but we can stick him on the bench and never let him play a single game."

"He’s only thirty-five and still in decent shape. I don’t think he can afford the consequences of being permanently benched."

Brian nodded thoughtfully. "That’s what I was thinking too. If the league ever finds out about this..."

He trailed off, giving a sudden shudder.

’This guy in front of me... he’s the head of the league’s Player Health Management department, isn’t he? That makes him practically a league man.’

Chen Yu gave a knowing smile.

Brian got the message. If he didn’t handle this properly, Chen Yu would absolutely report it to the league.

"Chen, I understand. I’ll talk to him as soon as practice is over," Brian said immediately. He hesitated for a moment, then shot Chen Yu an inquisitive look, silently asking if he would join him.

Chen Yu nodded. "Sure. As it happens, I need to talk with every one of them after practice anyway."

Brian blinked, confused. "Talk about what?" he asked.

"Anything and everything," Chen Yu explained. "Brian, these players are under enormous pressure, which makes them susceptible to psychological problems that directly affect their performance on the court. And in this day and age, it’s not easy for anyone to admit they have a mental health issue—not for ordinary people, let alone superstars like them."

"But I feel we need to be proactive about these things. So, I’ve decided that after every practice from now on, I’m going to have a little chat with each of them. Nothing long, just five minutes. It’ll be a way to constantly monitor their psychological well-being."

Brian’s mouth hung open in shock. After thinking for a moment, he said, "You’re the head of the medical department, so you call the shots. And you’re right. I’ve honestly never even considered this before."

’Who the fuck cares if a bunch of millionaires have psychological problems?’

’What kind of problems could they possibly have, anyway? Too much money and not enough ways to spend it?’

On the practice court, the players who had finished their workout gathered together, ready to disperse.

Dudley was excitedly recounting to the group how Chen Yu had won over Byron with just a few words, spit flying as he talked. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Sounds like he’s pretty impressive, then," J Kidd said.

Byron was already a force to be reckoned with, but it seemed Chen Yu was on another level.

Tony Delk, the starting point guard who had been traded to the team this year, chimed in. "I read a news report that said Chen opened a clinic back in Orlando. The guys on the Magic would all go there after practice to recover. Darrell Armstrong even told a reporter that their training was so grueling they never would have made it through the season without Chen’s treatments."

"Oh, and the report also said Chen was sticking Hill with needles every day," he added with a grin.

The normally quiet Marion suddenly piped up, "Does that mean he’s going to stick us with needles too?"

The group fell silent at once, their expressions complicated.

Just then, Nelson came over and told the group not to leave just yet. They needed to go have a chat with Chen Yu.

"Chat about what?" The players looked utterly bewildered.

Nelson didn’t know either. "It’s Chen’s request," he said. "Just do it. Consider it part of your training regimen."

The players exchanged glances and reluctantly headed toward the storage room.

Byron had already set up two rows of long benches for the players to sit on while they waited.

The players looked at each other, the atmosphere thick with awkwardness. No one wanted to be the first to go in.

Just then, the door swung open. Chen Yu poked his head out, scanned the group, and pointed at the nearest player, Delk. "Tony, you’re up first."

Delk stiffened. As the others watched with pity, he became the first to enter the storage room.

The storage room had been completely cleared out. A round table stood in the center, flanked by two large executive chairs. On a counter to the side sat a coffee machine, juice, water glasses, and other refreshments.

On the table, there was even a bowl of candy and a small potted cactus.

"Have a seat." Chen Yu gestured for Delk to sit.

The whole setup made Delk even more tense. He sat down stiffly and blurted out before Chen Yu could even speak, "Chen, I’m perfectly healthy."

"I know. We’re not going to talk about that," Chen Yu said with a small smile, then asked Delk what he’d like to drink.

Delk asked for juice, growing even more confused. ’If we’re not talking about injuries, what is there to talk about?’

Chen Yu poured him a glass of juice and said, "Honestly, I just wanted to chat. We can talk about anything at all—the weather, what you had for breakfast... Or, if you don’t feel like talking, we can just sit here quietly for a few minutes. That’s fine too."

Delk stared at Chen Yu, completely baffled. He opened his mouth, then closed it, choosing silence.

A mere five minutes later, Delk emerged from the room.

J Kidd and the others immediately swarmed him, asking what they had talked about.

Delk’s eyebrows scrunched together in thought for a long moment before he finally said, his voice laced with uncertainty, "We didn’t really talk about anything. When I went in, he said we could talk about the weather, but then he just... kept staring at me with this weird little smile. It was so strange, you know what I mean?"

He wrinkled his face, struggling to describe the feeling.

"I couldn’t tell if he was the one with the problem or if *I* was. Hey, wait... is there something wrong with me?"

Delk looked up, his expression completely blank as he asked the question.