On the Edge of the List

On the right, twenty-seven-year-old Mason bent over after shuttle runs, hands on his knees. The caption read: The Future Then. The Problem Now. One guest was Adrian Cole, the former technical director of Manchester Kings. Ten years earlier, he had personally brought Mason to Europe. Six years earlier, he had also signed the early release papers. "I respect Mason," Cole said with a television smile. "But respect does not mean denying reality. His body can no longer survive elite competition. We made a difficult decision back then because the medical reports, performance data, and long-term planning all pointed to the same conclusion." The host asked, "And that conclusion was?" Cole opened his hands. "He wasn't coming back."