04x08 - The Devil You Know

[bunniefuu]

Kane is in the building, n*gga...

Now tell me how you love it
You know you at the top

When only heaven's right above it,
we on

'Cause we on

Who else is really trying to f*ck
with Hollywood Cole?

I'm with Marley G, bro

Flying Holly Grove chicks
to my Hollywood shows

And I wanna tell you something
that you probably should know

This that
Slumdog Millionaire Bollywood flow

And...

My real friends never hearing from me

Fake friends write the wrong
answers on the mirror for me

That's why I pick and choose
I don't get sh*t confused

Don't like my women single
I like my chicks in twos

And these days
all the girls is down to roll

I hit the strip club
and all them b*tches find the pole

Plus, I been sippin'
So this sh*t is movin' kinda slow

Just tell my girl to tell her friend
that it's time to go

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

(SIGHS)

(SIGHS HEAVILY)

Q, you better not
be calling me from the ER.

Spence, they're in the f*cking house.

The f*ck you talking about?
Who's in the house?

Suits from the NCAA.

They're talking to my mom right now.

f*ck.

- All right, Q, listen to me...
- Why would they show up here, Spencer?

f*ck, man.

They're poking around,
asking questions about you.

Is this your idea of handling it?

It's okay.
You didn't do anything wrong.

Yeah, no sh*t!
What am I supposed to do?

I want you to go out there right now
and ask them to leave

as politely as possible,
and let me handle it.

I feel like
I've heard this before, Unc.

This does not feel f*cking handled.

I'm gonna hop on a plane
as soon as we get off this phone

and find out what the hell's going on.

It's Ohio State, man.
I shoulda never messed with them.

I should have just gone and did
what they wanted me to.

You don't owe them
a f*cking thing, okay?

- This is your life. Do you hear me?
- (SCOFFS) Yeah.

Now, you wanna be a Buckeye?
That's fine.

Go right ahead.

Or we can keep going together,
me and you.

- We already gone this far, right?
- That's right.

Family, right?

Family.

- He's out, Charles.
- But he deleted the tweet!

In this climate,
we can't afford any more distractions.

We've already got that g*dd*mn

kneeling nightmare
that never goes away.

I don't really see it
as a nightmare, sir.

'Cause it's not your money.

Look, just give me a couple of days
to fix this thing.

I really believe
we can spin it in our favor.

The Internet never forgets,
and the public never forgives.

We need Ricky.
And he really needs us right now.

- (SIGHS)
- Just two days?

All right!
I'm gonna make you look smart.

"Ter." I'm gonna make you
look smarter.

Charles, get out of my office.

So, before the meeting,
the kids were feeling a little...

I don't know, peckish? (CHUCKLES)

So stupidly,
I pulled over at a taco truck,

which was really, like,
peddling leftovers

out of the back of a Nissan...

Let me save you the energy, Joe.

It's a soft pass,

but not for the reason
you might think.

- Oh, come on, Yanni.
- It was a decently clever stunt, Joe,

but, come on, you think I'm shocked
to see dumb kids act like dumb kids?

- Come on. Let me talk to them...
- They're cool, man,

but they're an amusement,
they're not a brand.

Maybe in a couple of years,
they'll hone in on their thing,

but for now, they're just
a disposable Insta-story.

No, no. You're wrong, Yanni.

With all due respect, you're wrong.
These kids have something special.

- (SCOFFS)
- They have an authentic edge,

for real, that other companies
are gonna shell out big for.

Okay, then prove me wrong, Joe.
Make me the dummy.

(CHUCKLES) No.

I'm not gonna make you
the dummy, Yanni.

I'm gonna make you rich.

Julian, everything is under control.

- JULIAN: This is under control?
- Yes, it is.

I'm strolling through my house
hooked up to an IV,

and my sutures are starting to itch.

- Everything's under control?
- It will be.

This is just a minor glitch.

You said that
everything was worked out,

that the kid was in the bag.

He was until Ohio State started
acting like a bunch of b*tches.

It's okay, they don't have anything.

This is the NCAA, Spencer,
it's not a court of law.

They can do
anything they f*cking want.

And if they think you're sticking
your shiny b*llet head up their ass,

- they're gonna come down hard.
- So let 'em.

Do I have to remind you
how much I sank into these rights

thanks to your sure thing?

You assured me
that it was totally kosher.

There's nothing illegal about our buy.

Plus, they'd have to stretch
to link the kid.

Wait, link the kid? Link the kid?

Are you telling me that he's involved?

Do not f*cking tell me
that he's involved.

No, of course not.

All right, listen to me.

USC is threatening
to pull out of this deal, Spencer.

And if I was not in danger

of losing an obscene amount of money...

And I loathe losing money,
do you hear me?

I loathe it, I would just as soon
lose a testicle...

I would b*at them to the punch.

Now get your sh*t together.

I just landed in Indy.
I'm handling it as we speak.

I hope so,
because you'd hate how I'd handle it.

Morphine!

I hope Jason was gentle with y'all
on that deal.

"Gentle" isn't exactly
the word I'd use to describe him,

but you know how he does.

(SIGHS) California! Nothing like it.

But what are we doing out here?

Checking out your fly view?

You know, my mom,

she used to put trash bags
on the windows

so the landlord
wouldn't know we were there.

Used to get hot as hell in there, too.

In the summertime, it was boiling.

I remember the smell.

Kinda like cooking plastic?

I thought that sh*t was normal
for the longest time.

For what it's worth,

I didn't know that cereal
wasn't a dinner food

until about high school.

Look at all this, Chuck.

Look at what you got.

What we earned.
And we earned that sh*t, Chuck.

People out there hating
on us speaking out.

Like we should be grateful
that we making millions.

(CHUCKLES) Like we ain't?

Like they don't complain
about their lives or jobs.

Bullshit. And we can't
complain about injustice?

And these same people...

Acting like they just
gave us this sh*t.

Like my dreams, life, house,
were just given to my black ass.

And my talent,
my hard f*cking work and savvy,

ain't have sh*t to do with it.

- That sh*t ain't right.
- No, it ain't right.

But this tweet, Rick.

Man, you really got people
riled up this time.

I'm getting pressure from
my higher-ups to make some kind of...

Chuck, that tweet wasn't even
about white people.

It was about my neighbors,
it's their names. The Whites.

(SIGHS)

I'm gonna straighten that out, though,

'cause they cool as hell,
lovely people. Really.

But more importantly,

I want to have the freedom to say
what I want to say, man.

Not just for me,
but for our children, man.

For our kids.

I wanna play for a team
that ain't gonna try to muzzle me.

Well, you can do that,
you just gotta finesse it in a way...

Where the white folks approve.

No, that your bosses approve of, fool.

- Right.
- Regardless of their color.

Look, man, everybody out here
just trying to get his paper, right?

Everybody's about the green?

Come on, man. Don't try me like that.

I don't believe that,
and neither do you.

Look...

Do what you gotta do, man.
I understand, yo.

Fine me, whatever. I get it.

But know that when
you're looking at your life

and the man you want to be,
ask yourself the question...

What are we doing out here?

(HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYING)

RECEPTIONIST: Mr. Strasmore.

They're ready for you.

I don't think they are.

Mr. Strasmore, we can do
some small talk off the top here,

keep it polite, if that would
make you feel more comfortable.

No, Robert, it's okay.

That would be out of my league,
'cause you guys

have become very rich men by saying
a bunch of sh*t that you don't mean.

So, why don't we just
get the show on the road.

What's your relationship
with Quincy Crawford?

- How do you mean?
- Your relationship to him is what?

You want us to arrange it
a few more ways?

It'll mean the same thing,
Spencer, so answer the question.

Quincy's mother and I are pursuing
a romantic relationship,

so I guess that would
make me a family friend.

- With benefits.
- Yeah, sure, if you want to

think about it like a teenager would.

Yeah, friend with benefits.

And how do these benefits extend
to the young Mr. Crawford?

Well, Q, from time to time,
will ask me for my advice,

and it's advice that I feel I am
uniquely qualified to offer him.

- What's the nature of this "advice"?
- Specifically,

it's just to make sure that he is not
exploited and f*cked over

by a bunch of rich white guys
who don't give a sh*t about him.

Ooh.

You really want to play
the race card, Spencer?

Yeah, why not, Robert?

Because I find it really interesting
that the only pro sports

that require these athletes
to pass through your clutches

are the ones that are mostly made up
of kids of color to begin with.

You mean football and basketball.

No, I'm talking about
curling and f*cking badminton.

(CHUCKLES)

That's a lot of
righteous rage, Spencer.

Yeah, it is.

Does this moral outrage of yours
extend to television network deals?

Taking recruiting visits
with high school students?

Aren't you a registered
financial manager?

We understand your good pals,
the Anderson brothers,

have just secured
the USC broadcasting rights,

and in addition to committing
a number of NCAA violations,

I'm sure you've broken some NFL rules.

God only knows
what you tell your client.

- Quincy is not my client.
- Is that what you tell yourself?

Okay, you know what, I'm gonna
stop you right there, Robert, okay?

This is a corrupt organization

that has been rotting
from the inside out

for decades now, and you know it.

And the public is finally
beginning to catch up,

but they don't even know
half the truth

about how you guys chew up

thousands and thousands of kids
every single year

under the promise of an education,

then you squeeze out
every bit of value that they have

before you pass 'em on to the pros.

Or you just discard them
as if they got no value at all.

And God forbid they get hurt.

You know how I know this?

Because I saw it,
and because I lived it.

Robert, look at me.

I know where all
the dead bodies are buried.

Unless you want me digging them up
and dragging them

in front of the ESPN cameras
that you guys love so much,

here's what you're gonna do.

You're gonna
stay the f*ck away from me

and anyone who I care about.

Let me tell you m*therf*ckers
something else.

The next time that
you bring me to this sh*thole,

it better be to offer me a deal
and a huge check,

because you're wasting
my valuable f*cking time!

- (AUDIENCE CHEERING ON TV)
- Come on. Come on. Come on.

Pass the ball.

- (WHISTLE BLOWING)
- Pass...

(GROANS)

Yo, man, can't you turn that sh*t off
for a second?

Joe, what the f*ck am I doing here?

You're pulling me off the poker table
so we can watch Vernon play FIFA?

VERNON: Man, chill, y'all.

This is sophisticated gaming.

Man, this sh*t requires precision,

fast-twitch muscles,
and hand-eye coordination.

How 'bout I hand-eye coordinate
my fist to your f*cking face?

Guys, guys, guys.

Look, no one wants to be here
less than I do, okay?

REGGIE: That isn't true.

We're happy to be here

'cause we want to invite you
in on the process.

Process of what?

The process of raising
the profile of Sports X

and its young phenoms.

So, you need my money
and you need me to market your sh*t.

Well, I wouldn't put it
that way, exactly,

but yeah, yeah, we need a little help.

This is gonna be fun as f*ck, man!
For real!

Yo, Vern, you remember
back in eighth grade how we used to do

the backyard wrestling thing
over at Dale's grandmother's spot?

Oh, yeah! Didn't you get a
Wiffle ball bat stuck up your ass?

This isn't the point, okay?

The point is, look, man,
we want to take that energy

with a little side project
we think is gonna help

take this company to the next level.

And we're giving you guys
the chance to become

more than just the silent partners
you've been.

Oh, we gotta act, too?

- Yeah.
- Okay, well, m*therf*cker, this is me

acting like I don't
want to f*cking k*ll you.

- How am I doing?
- Yeah, got it.

What the f*ck y'all want us to do?

(NEW BANGER PLAYING)

(YELPS)

(GROANING)

Fire! Fire!

Wake up, Puke-achus!

I guess you guys think
your little stunt the other day

really blew some corporate minds, huh?

We were just f*cking with 'em
to see if they could hang.

- Just like with y'all.
- (BOTH CHUCKLING)

- Well, it worked.
- What?

Well, he's still interested,
in spite of your little prank.

I don't know why.
Probably because of it,

to tell you the truth.

But do you want to know what he said?
I don't think you do.

He said that you guys
are nothing special.

He said that you're not sh*t.

Just some hood rats.

- Man, f*ck that.
- REGGIE: f*ck that? (SCOFFS)

- f*ck that.
- (CHUCKLES) f*ck that.

You think they're wrong? Why?

'Cause we own our own sh*t.

- Our own plane, our own track.
- JOE: Oh. (CHUCKLES)

They can get with it,
or whatever, like...

Yeah, see,
this is the thing right here.

This is what I was talking about.

There is a massive disconnect

between what it is
you guys think you're doing

and what you're
actually f*cking doing.

'Cause what you're actually doing
is f*cking off.

f*cking off.

With a little talent
and a little vibe.

But you still ain't sh*t.

Despite all that, we're gonna
give you a sh*t, all right?

We, um, stole some very,
very expensive cameras,

and you guys are gonna take them

and show us what it is
you want the world to see.

This is Sizzle, this is Vernon.

Some big, bad m*therf*ckers.

With short attention spans
and severe anger issues.

- REGGIE: They gonna roll with y'all.
- Okay.

But what is it that you want us to do?

Hurt yourself.

Don't come back until
you've broken your jaw

or busted your f*cking femur.

I wanna see your f*cking bone
through your skin.

You little f*ckers in, or what?

So, ya know,
I couldn't tell Ricky today.

I was gonna.

But he just got crazy real with me
and I just couldn't.

He'll understand.

Now, I know you and Ricky are friends,

but he always makes
business-first decisions.

Remember that time you were out
begging with your hand out

for his new contract,
and he stuck his nose up at it?

This is different.

There's something happening
in the league.

In sports. In the country.

When Kiki gets older
and she looks back on this movement,

what is she gonna think
about her daddy?

Oh, baby.

She's gonna think that
he did everything he could

to make her life better.

Better how, though?

Like "Gucci hoops" better?

Or "she didn't get k*lled
during a traffic stop" better?

Listen... I love you.

Do what you need to do.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

SPENCER: Joe, why you blowing me up?

(SIGHS) Tell me
this isn't happening, Spencer.

- Tell you what's not happening?
- I just got off the phone

with a couple of
heavily medicated Andersons,

- and they had a lot to say, man.
- Are they being irrational?

I think the better question is,
are you being rational?

Your golden goose just
got himself grounded by the NCAA.

Oh, you're talking about the Q thing.

It's a little bit more than a thing.

They're ruling Quincy ineligible.

And the Andersons are losing
their minds over this rights issue.

- f*cking NCAA!
- What did you do, Spencer?

Please, please don't tell me
that you decided to take on

one of the most corrupt and powerful
organizations in all of sports.

I did.

(SIGHS DEEPLY)

f*ck you.

Joe, I knew they were gonna bite back,
I just didn't...

You didn't care who they bit.

Look, I'm on my way
to see Q right now,

I'm gonna make sure that
they do not take him down.

I'm also gonna make sure that
the brothers don't take Sports X.

- Vivian Ramirez.
- What? Who's that?

Vivian Ramirez is the head
of housekeeping here at Sports X.

She has not missed a day
in over three years.

She supports two families,
one here, one in Ecuador.

She stayed on with us

because she values loyalty
more than anything else,

and she said that you have a face
that she could trust.

Come on, are you gonna guilt-trip me
right now, Joe?

No. I'm trying to give you
a dose of reality

that there are real people
involved here besides yourself.

Did you think about Vivian

when you decided
to gamble her livelihood

on this absurd scam?

Did you think about her or me or Q
or anyone besides yourself?

All right. Joe, I give you my word.

I'm gonna take care
of everything for you,

for Q, and especially for Vivian.

Yeah. Great.

Because your word
means everything these days.

(SLOW MUSIC PLAYING)

(SIGHS) f*ck.

(SIGHS)

- Jayda, listen.
- Don't stand there and tell me

you haven't been lying and hustling me
behind my f*cking back.

- Come on. Just give me a minute, okay?
- You messed with Q's future!

- How f*cked up are you?
- This is what the NCAA wants us to do.

They want us to fall apart so
they can swoop in and be the heroes!

Right, and you can't stand that,

because you gotta
play the f*cking hero.

What are you talking...
I just want what's best for Q!

All right? I care about him,
and I care about you!

You don't care about anybody
but your f*cking self, okay?

He told me. Everything.

Q told me everything.

See, unlike you, he has integrity.

He doesn't lie to people
he cares about.

I was offering him a way
to buck the system, okay?

So he could get paid his actual value

and not get used by these greedy
f*cking old white dudes, all right,

who don't give a sh*t about him!
Come on!

Mmm-hmm. 'Cause you had
nothing to gain from it, right?

I did, yes, I... We did!

- Come on, I'm crazy about you both!
- You're worse than them.

Don't say that.

At least they're upfront.

"Here are the rules,
here's who we are."

That's not true,
they're f*cking snakes!

No, you're the f*cking snake, Spencer.

It was you all along. It was you.

Stay away from my family.

And enjoy your slice, you earned it.

Jayda.

Jayda!

(DOOR CLOSES)

- That moment...
- (GRUNTS)

(HALF MAN HALF SHARK PLAYING)

That impact...

(GROANING)

- When you feel that weight on you...
- (TIRES SCREECHING)

Your body just goes numb
trying to protect you from that pain,

that hurt!

f*cking idiot, dawg.

(LAUGHS)

SIZZLE: But only
when you embrace it...

It's nothing.

Can you cross through
to the other side.

Where pain becomes pride.

- Holy sh*t.
- Yo.

Now, that's a comeback.

- (SIGHS)
- Hey.

Make this quick, Charles.
I've got that twit from Papa Johns,

and a hornet's nest of shareholders
I gotta plow through this afternoon,

- so come on, let's go.
- Okay, I'll be brief.

It's about Ricky Jerret.

- Went that bad, huh?
- No. No, actually, it went great.

- Really?
- Yeah!

Yeah, we're not gonna cut him.

That's a joke, right?

No. And not only
are we gonna keep him,

but we're gonna back him

and his right to speak up
for his beliefs.

Charles, you know that
this is a business, right?

It's not a not-for-profit.

Yeah.

Where's the new stadium again?

- Inglewood.
- And who lives in Inglewood?

- People.
- Black people.

Black people live in Inglewood.
It's okay, you can say it.

- Yeah.
- And those same people

would probably love to see the team
that represents them on the field

represent them in their real lives.

That's great. Then maybe we can get
the Black Panthers to sponsor us.

Come on, Charles.

We should be so lucky.

There's a tide happening
in this country, sir,

and we can either ride on top of it
or get swept up under it.

This is LA!

This city has been at the center

of the struggle for equal rights
since the '60s.

Now, I'm not saying that we have to
endorse everything that Ricky

or any of the other players
are saying politically...

Charles, what are you saying?

We set up a team-sponsored fund

that fights social inequality

and injustice right here
in Los Angeles,

and we make Ricky
the face of the whole thing.

But what about the pissed-off
football fans, Charles?

f*ck 'em.

- f*ck 'em?
- Respectfully, sir.

You're gonna f*ck 'em respectfully?

You want this team
to have an identity?

You want 'em to have a soul?

Then this is where it starts.

We have to win over our city,
our fans.

I promise you,
this is important to them.

Maybe even as important as winning.
Maybe even more.

So it's not only good business,
it's what's right.

Okay, Charles.

Okay.

But if this blows up in any way,

you're the one that's
gonna go down for it.

You understand that?

- I do.
- Good.

(SIGHS)

It's impressive, Charles.

Your commitment and your passion,
very impressive.

Thank you, sir.

You can go now.

(I'M CLOSING MY EYES PLAYING)

(WHISTLE BLOWS)

Oh, you want some work, old-head?

I'm not here to test your manhood, Q.

I'm just here to apologize to you.

Man, f*ck your apology.

I trusted you.

My mother trusted you.

I can't even play for
a f*cking community college now.

It's not only about you, Q.

You said you would handle it.

Then I hear from Ohio State

that you're in there
swinging your d*ck around.

- How was that handling it?
- It's not.

Yeah, no sh*t.
This whole thing was about you.

It's not. It's about my brother.

I don't want to hear
about your brother, man. I'm walking.

Took his own life, Q.

Junior year, he tore up his shoulder
in practice, he was never the same.

He couldn't play that year,
they didn't give him back

his year of eligibility.

He just spiraled out of control.

I could never get him back
in the boat.

If that's true, that's some sad sh*t,
but it has nothing to do with me.

And it doesn't explain
your shitty behavior.

No, it doesn't.

It doesn't.

But I want you to know I never forgave
the NCAA for how they treated him,

how they left him out on his own.

And it blinded me.

And I'm sorry.

I came here to tell you
face to face, man to man...

- That I f*cked up.
- Yeah, you f*cked up.

And as much as
it kills me to say this...

I'm gonna leave you
and your mother alone.

We almost had 'em, though.

Huh, Unc?

Almost.

Pritchard says there's still a chance
for me at Ohio State.

Hey...

You're gonna k*ll it there, kid.

What about you?

The network, your bosses and sh*t.

f*ck it all.

(SIGHS) I'm gonna take the NCAA down.

Brick by brick.

(HIP-HOP MUSIC PLAYING)