Emmy winner Beau Bridges and his daughter Emily Bridges play father and daughter in the episode titled ‘Hail Mary’ of CBS’s Code Black that aired Wednesday night. Pete Delaney (Beau Bridges), a high school football coach, becomes ill en route to a Valentine’s Day charity luncheon honoring a former student, N.Y. Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who plays a better version of his real life self.
After an examination and tests it is determined that Delaney has prostate cancer. When the doctor asks him about it, the coach admits he was diagnosed a year ago but was living in denial and hoping it was a slow progressing cancer. Wrong. The coach, it is explained to him, needs immediate surgery as the cancer is growing. Unable to come to grips with the side effects of the surgery, he refuses the life-saving procedure. His daughter, Mia (Emily Bridges) calls in Beckham to convince Delaney to have the surgery.
The coach decides to go under the knife after he is persuaded that he still has much to live for. After the surgery, he learns of the speech Odell gave after the hospital visit. Odell acknowledged that Coach Delaney, his mentor, taught him valuable life lessons. How to win and lose in life off the football field shows a person’s temperament and character.
Doctor: How are you feeling?
Delaney: So good I want to crap my pants. But I guess those days are over.
Doctor: At least you have a sense of humor.
Delaney: I don't.
Doctor: Odell does. He's out in the waiting room signing his 400th autograph right now. Hey, you said earlier that he invited you to his charity event as a prop.
Delaney: [ Chuckles ] Yeah.
Doctor: You want to know why he really invited you, Mr. Delaney? His speech is on the internet, and here's what he said... "A great man once told me that temperament is displayed in failure, but character is revealed in success. Pete Delaney taught me that."
Odell: Pete Delaney taught me how to win. He also taught me how to be a winner.
Delaney: You remember that?
Odell: I remember everything you taught me, coach. Every single thing.
Delaney: You got your camera? Come on. One for posterity. Here we go. [ Camera shutter clicks ]
Yeah. That would have been an “awww” feel-good kind of scene about a young successful football player thanking his high school coach for instilling lessons about character into him but, in real life, NFL player Odell Beckham Jr. hasn’t really learned those lessons.
As this article reports, back in December 2015, he was suspended for one game due to three personal fouls during a game. Deemed excessive, one foul included a helmet-to-helmet hit on a member of the other team, the Carolina Panthers, “at the end of a run play in which neither was involved.” So much for character and temperament.
