The phone rang at Michael Husted’s home in late October 1997, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker thought he knew what it meant.
Problems in his personal life — his mother was dying of cancer — started to follow him onto the field when he’d pace the three steps back and two steps left before each of his kicks. He wasn’t as mentally sharp as the job demanded and, as a result, he’d missed three extra points in five tries over the previous month.
This was the call that was going to end all of that; he was sure he was about to get fired.