| Indiscretions |
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Dan is seen on a control room monitor in the middle of a broadcast. Everyone is working during the broadcast, and noticeably absent is Natalie.
Dan (on-air): The Patriots announced that tailback Russell Adams will be active and is probable for tomorrow's contest against the Chargers. It's good that the Patriots made the announcement before the game. If they made the announcement after the game, it would ruin the element of surprise.
Dana: Preview 54.
Chris: 53 on stand-by, previewing 54.
Will: FX 42 is up.
Dave: Switch over to Louie.
Natalie walks into the control room and directly over to Dana. Dana leans over to hear Natalie's whisper.
Natalie: Some sources are saying that some of the players' families are receiving illegal payments through fictitious jobs.
Dana: Do you have any solid evidence?
Natalie: I didn't get any returned calls from the school.
Dana: Do you have any solid evidence? (into mic) Let me hear College Station.
Natalie: I only have a couple confirmations of people earning high salaries while working for the athletic association. Those people also have sons on the football team. Those sons also happen to be starters. They only got the jobs after the players started attending class.
Dana: He did have something.
Natalie: What?
Dana: Casey had something.
Natalie: What do you want me to do?
Dana (into mic): Bobbi, you'll have to fill for ten seconds.
Dana thinks about it for a moment as Bobbi continues doing her segment of highlights.
Dana: Have something ready for tomorrow night. I don't want to go with it just yet.
Natalie: And undercut Casey.
Dana: I'm not going to undercut Casey.
Natalie: Okay.
Dana: I'll talk with Isaac before we air something.
Natalie nods her head.
Bobbi (on-air): And we'll be back to wrap up this edition of "Sports Night" after this.
Dave: We're out.
Elliott: Two minutes back.
-----
Dana knocks on Isaac's door.
Isaac: Dana? You wanted to see me?
Dana: Yes, Isaac.
Dana closes the door behind her.
Isaac: What's up?
Dana: There's the possibility of a story coming out of Central Louisiana about illegal payments going to the families of several starters on the football team.
Isaac: A possibility?
Dana: We've received some confirmations, but we don't have everything yet.
Isaac: Okay.
Dana: I want Natalie to prepare something for tonight's broadcast.
Isaac: Will you have all the information you need?
Dana: We're going to get it from Casey's show.
Isaac: He's giving you his information?
Dana: No. When his show hits the airwaves tonight at 11, he's going to bring forward these allegations. I want to air something in the middle of the broadcast and use Casey's show as a reference.
Isaac: Okay.
Dana: Thanks, Isaac.
Dana begins to leave.
Isaac: This is the aggressiveness I saw in you when I first hired you.
Dana: Thank you.
Isaac: And during your first interview here, you wore a red blouse with a black skirt.
Dana: Excuse me?
Isaac: Nothing. I'm just testing my memory.
Dana: Okay.
-----
Casey and Natalie are walking down the corridor toward Dana's office.
Casey: I think I remember the way down here, Natalie.
Natalie: I know.
The two enter Dana's office. Dana is sitting at her desk.
Dana: Hey, Casey. What brings you here?
Natalie closes the door and then stands between the two.
Casey: If you don't mind, Natalie, I need to speak with Dana.
Natalie: I don't mind at all. I'll just sit over here on the couch.
Dana: Natalie?
Natalie: Yo.
Dana: You have to leave.
Natalie: Right now?
Dana: Yes, right now.
Natalie: Okay.
Natalie goes over to the door and opens it.
Natalie: Give him hell, Dana.
Natalie leaves the office. Casey walks over and closes the door.
Casey: I'm working on a story.
Dana: On Central Louisiana.
Casey: Yeah. And after the story airs, certain things are going to come out.
Dana: I need to let you know that we are preparing a segment after your show airs tonight.
Casey: You are?
Dana: And I'm hunching that Central Louisiana will be embroiled in controversy and the subject of an NCAA investigation.
Casey: Yeah, that too.
Dana: Too?
Casey: Dana...
Dana: Casey?
Casey: There are certain things you don't know about me.
Dana: Oh god. Oh god.
Casey: It's nothing horrible. It's just something.
Dana: You're seeing another woman.
Casey: I'm... I'm what?
Dana: Nothing. Just testing you.
Casey: You're not making this any easier.
Dana: I'm sorry. Go ahead.
Casey: Now some people may find this funny.
Dana: What is it?
Casey: After the illegal payments are announced, there is going to be some information about me leaked to the press.
Dana: What kind of information?
Casey: I technically... and the emphasis is on technically... I technically didn't graduate college.
Dana is shocked.
Dana: But... but you walked. We walked on graduation day. We got our diplomas. What do you mean you didn't graduate?!
Casey: I had the hours to graduate. I just didn't have all the right hours.
Dana: Explain.
Casey: I was missing a required one-hour credit in physical education.
Dana laughs.
Dana: You didn't take gym?
Casey: Well, they accidentally gave me three hours for my rugby class instead of two hours.
Dana: So you knew about this?
Casey: I had pretty much forgotten about it.
Dana: But you had prior knowledge about it.
Casey: No, not really, kind of, maybe... yeah.
Dana: And you did nothing about it.
Casey: Come on, Dana. It's not like I didn't have enough hours to graduate. It's just a stupid hour in phys ed.
Dana: How did... why... how did the university find out?
Casey: They notified me a couple of years later.
Dana: For what? What did they do? Track you down for your missing gym class?
Casey: It was brought to my attention when I applied and started working in San Francisco.
Dana: Oh no. I recommended you.
Casey: They revoked the degree until I go back to take the one class.
Dana: I recommended you for San Francisco, for Dallas, and even CSC.
Casey: It's just a piece of paper. I still won the Peabody, I still won the regional Emmys, I still did the excellent job I've been capable of doing. It doesn't change who I am, Dana. I'm still the same Casey you've known all these years.
Dana: Did you fill out your resumé with that information?
Casey: I've just had my resumés forwarded to my next employers.
Dana: But you filled it out.
Casey: Hey, who doesn't embellish a little on their resumé?
Dana: You lied to them.
Casey: They threatened to release the information unless I helped cover up the illegal payments.
Dana: What?
Casey: The athletic association. They tried to blackmail me into doing a different story.
Dana: And you're still airing it?
Casey: I can't let their illegal doings go unpunished. I'll manage to get by, but the NCAA needs to do something about Central Louisiana. It is my right as a reporter to let the truth be told. I never needed a piece of paper to do that.
Dana: Casey... the truth is you lied.
Dana shakes her head in disbelief.
-----
Dan is standing inside his office and looking out the window into the night skyline.
Natalie enters the room, but Dan continues looking out the window.
Natalie: Hey, Dan.
Dan: Hey.
Natalie: There's a couple of things before we call places. We're going to keep the thirties pretty open. Jeremy is going to be cutting film for the Central Louisiana story, and you should be able to work on it during the first and second c-breaks.
Dan: Just give me bullet points, and I'll be able to give you something.
Natalie: Okay. The second is that there are some problems with the teleprompters.
Dan: What problems?
Natalie: They're not working.
Dan: But they will be working once we start the broadcast?
Natalie: They're working hard on getting it fixed. Just in case, you'll just have to follow your hard copy.
Dan: Yeah. Natalie, let me ask you something.
Natalie: Okay.
Dan: Have you been in love before?
Natalie: I think I might have once or twice. I'm not quite sure.
Dan: Here's the thing... love is this uncontrollable feeling. Your heart leaps out and you find yourself doing things you never thought you would be doing. You are completely out of control and it's scary, but somehow, it all feels good. It feels right.
Natalie: Wow.
Dan: Yeah.
Natalie: I mean wow.
Dan: You already said that.
Natalie: You really love her, don't you?
Dan smiles.
Dan: Yeah.
There is a knock on the door. Dan and Natalie look over to see who it is.
Dan: Casey.
Casey: Hey.
Natalie: Have a good show, Danny. Have a good show, Casey.
Casey: Thanks.
Natalie: But not as good as ours.
Casey: Right back at you.
Natalie leaves the room.
Dan: So?
Casey: So.
Dan: You're here. I'm here. Less than ten minutes to air. The tension and excitement builds.
Casey: Yes, it does.
Dan: Don't you miss doing live television?
Casey: I do.
Dan: Do you want to watch from the green room... or even off the set?
Casey: Nah. I think I'm going to go.
Dan: What's up?
Casey looks at Dan for a moment.
Casey: Later this week, there will be a story on me falsifying my credentials.
Dan: Well, break out your trophies. That will show them.
Casey: But they'll be right.
Dan: What?
Casey: I didn't earn enough of the required credits to get my degree.
Dan: But you graduated with Dana.
Casey: I was aware of the discrepancy, and the university wasn't aware of it until a few years later.
Dan: And you never went back to get your degree?
Casey: I didn't think it would matter. I've been doing a great job for years. I've won awards. I didn't think it would matter.
Dan: Does Dana know?
Casey: Yeah.
Dan: What does she have to say?
Casey: She accused me of lying.
Dan: But are the accusations correct?
Casey lowers his head.
Casey: Yeah.
Dan: Listen. We've always made indiscretions in our lives. How we deal with the aftermath and facing up to the responsibilities is how we define our character. Your character may be in question right now, but you can always do something about it.
Casey: Yeah.
"Five minutes to air. First team to the studio."
Dan: Look. I've got to go do a show right now. Let's meet down at Anthony's after the show. We'll have a few drinks and talk about it. I'll tell a few amusing anecdotes, and we'll forget about it for a little while.
Casey: I'll see you down there.
Dan: Don't worry. You've still got your friends.
Casey: Thanks.
Dan and Casey leave the office.
-----
Dan and Bobbi are sitting at the anchor desk before a broadcast. Alyson is applying makeup on them. Jeremy approaches the anchor desk.
Jeremy: Here's the new shot sheet for 42.
Jeremy hands a copy each to Bobbi and Dan.
Dan: Thanks, Jeremy.
Dave: One minute VTR, two minutes live.
Dan notices Jeremy standing by the anchor desk and looking toward one of the cameras.
Dan rolls his eyes.
Dan: She's working on the teleprompter, Jeremy.
Jeremy: I know.
Over by the camera, JoAnne is seen bent over and fixing the teleprompter.
Jeremy: Summer of '94.
Dan: Avert your eyes, mister!
Jeremy smiles and focuses back on Dan and Bobbi.
Jeremy: Have a good show, guys.
Jeremy heads for the control room.
JoAnne: All done.
The teleprompter lights up and JoAnne finishes her work. She turns, winks at Dan, and flashes a big smile before walking off the set. Dan can't help but smile.
Dan: She is something else.
Bobbi: Excuse me?
Dan: Jo.
Bobbi: Yes, she's fabulous at fixing things.
Dan: Yes, she is fabulous.
-----
Inside the restaurant, Anthony's, patrons sit at the bar. The bartender walks over to the mounted television and changes the channel to CSC. The introduction to "Sports Night" is finishing up as people start paying attention to the broadcast.
Dan (on-air): Good evening. From New York City, I'm Dan Rydell sitting alongside Bobbi Bernstein. Those stories plus...
As you pass over the crowd, the people at the bar watch the show. As you move further back, people are talking with each other while eating their meals. You finally pass over to a corner section where a television is mounted on the wall. One lonely man sits in front of the television. He has a full glass, but he doesn't feel like drinking. The man recognizes the voice on the television as his.
"This is Casey McCall reporting from Pappadeaux, Louisiana. The storied history of Central Louisiana may be tainted by allegations of illegal benefits being paid to families of starting players on the football team. Tonight, we are going to examine these allegations and how an elaborate scheme was concocted by members of the Central Louisiana athletic association..."
