: The eye of the storm, attracting widespread attention.

Chapter 81: The eye of the storm, attracting widespread attention (Seeking monthly votes)

This rumor originated from a former assistant to a well-known sports lawyer and agent, who, while drunk, claimed that Levi had reached a secret agreement with a bigwig at an NFL team.

"I'm not lying to you, man," he said drunkenly, "that kid Levi is going to challenge the NFL's current rules again, going down the same path as Maurice Claylet, and this time an NFL team owner is helping him."

In 2004, Maurice Clayret was a star running back at Ohio State University, leading his team to a national championship as a freshman. However, he was suspended for violating school rules, so he decided to force his way into the NFL draft despite his dissatisfaction with the NFL's "three years after high school graduation" rule.

However, Claire lost the case, and since then no one has been able to challenge this rule.

This rumor immediately caused a stir in the rugby world.

Some people support Li Wei, believing that based on his current performance in PSAL and the data he has shown in training camp, he has completely surpassed the level of competition that a high school student or even an NCAA student can face.

Letting him play a conventional NCAA game would be unfair to himself, as it would slow down his peak period; it would also be unfair to his opponents, as playing against Levi carries the risk of injury at any time.

Opponents argue that this system has been in place for over 20 years, and allowing top talents to skip the NCAA would cause the NCAA to lose its core appeal—a massive industry worth billions of dollars. Sponsor withdrawal and reduced broadcasting fees would ultimately deprive thousands of ordinary students who rely on athletic scholarships of their educational opportunities.

This public opinion, which started from a rumor, for reasons unknown, gradually evolved into the most profound logical game in the history of modern American football within 72 hours.

Social media, academia, and sports commentary have become sharply polarized.

On X (formerly Twitter), the number of posts and trending topics under the hashtags #SkipNCAA and #LevyvsNFL has skyrocketed.

"If Levi succeeds, won't the NCAA become a secondary league? With countless high school students rushing to the NFL, will anyone still watch college games? A century-old foundation will be destroyed in an instant!"

"Look at his video at Yankee Stadium! A monster with that kind of physical ability would be murdering the opposing team if he played in the freshman league. All those haters in the comments section who told him to stick to playing in the NCAA should line up to stop his charge."

Aside from X, young people on TikTok tend to follow the narrative of "breaking the rules".

Countless bloggers edited Li Wei's game footage or live videos into short videos, and combined with his handsome face and identity as a person of color, they actually attracted a large number of female fans and people outside the rugby circle to cheer for him.

Just as everyone was arguing fiercely, someone suddenly realized what Li Wei was thinking.

Li Wei simply took two days off and stayed home to research the academic requirements for admission to Yale and Harvard.

Because if you want to get into college through sports, you basically have to go through the NCAA, which is similar to the special admissions program for sports students in China.

If he can indeed enter the NFL directly through John Mara's efforts, it would be equivalent to having a professional team status, making it impossible for him to be recruited through the special athletic recruitment program. He would have to take the academic exams to enter college.

Just as he was checking Yale's admission interview requirements, his phone suddenly rang.

When I picked it up, I found it was from an unknown contact, and the caller ID didn't even show the phone number.

Li Wei frowned and answered the phone.

"This is Li Wei," he said. "How can I help you?"

"Hello, Levi," a gentle female voice came through the phone. "This is Elizabeth Mellon."

Elizabeth Mellon?

The image of the stunningly beautiful young lady from the Mellon family immediately came to mind for Li Wei. To be honest, they hadn't had any contact since they met at the art gallery a month ago and she gave him her personal business card.

"Miss Mellon," Levi said, "is there something you need from me?"

"I'm so sorry to bother you," Elizabeth Mellon said apologetically, "but I've recently learned that you seem to be in some rather troublesome situation."

Li Wei removed his hand from the laptop's touchpad and looked away from the Yale University website's "Student Academic Ability Assessment (SAT/ACT Requirements)" page.

"I don't think it's a problem," Levi said. "I don't find these things troublesome."

"Is that so?" Elizabeth Mellon's tone was flawless. "I'm so sorry, I was a bit presumptuous."

Her tone was very sincere, her voice was calm and gentle, but for some reason, Li Wei had a very bad impression of her.

Either it was because she still owed him a tip, or Li Wei instinctively felt that she was pretentious.

"Don't worry about it, I have my own plans," Li Wei said. "If there's nothing else, I have other things to do."

"Okay, then I won't bother you any longer," Elizabeth Mellon said gently. "If you encounter any problems, you can call my private number, and I'll help you solve them."

"What if this is a serious problem?" Li Wei countered with a smile. "If I kill someone, can you help me resolve it?"

"All Americans are equal, and no one is more noble than anyone else," Elizabeth said politely. "I believe Mr. Levy would not do something so cruel."

Li Wei wanted to hang up, but considering her status, he exchanged a few laughs with her before waiting for her to hang up on her own.

As soon as Elizabeth hung up the phone, Levi's phone vibrated again.

"Who is it now..." Levi muttered. "Coach Miller? What do you want?"

"Leeway, are you sure you want to turn down Ohio State and Alabama State?" Coach Miller's Black accent rose and fell like a rap, "These two are the best football schools."

"But I'm not planning on playing in the NCAA anymore, am I?" Li Wei said with a smile, putting his feet up on the chair. "Even if I'm good at it, it doesn't really matter to me."

"That's true..." Coach Miller said, "However, since you're not planning to go to either of those schools and want to become a mama's jerk vampire in a suit in the future, I've contacted Harvard and Yale for you, and they've sent you interview invitations."

"Oh?" Li Wei sat up. "I was originally planning to apply through the academic route, not the NCAA route. Would they accept my early application?"

"Don't be silly, you're in the spotlight right now," Coach Miller scoffed. "Besides, you're Asian, and Asians are known for their sharp minds. They won't miss the chance to interview you."

"While that's a bit biased," Levi said, "you're right, so when?"

"Yale is at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and Harvard is at 10 a.m. on Sunday," Coach Miller said. "Also, your All-American Bowl invitation has arrived at your school. Come pick it up when you go to school tomorrow."

"Uh-huh..." Li Wei replied casually, "Okay, I'll be there then."

The phone rang again immediately after I put it down.

"Who is it?" Li Wei asked, puzzled. Why were the phone calls coming in one after another today? "Is this never going to stop?"

He was greeted by a woman's voice filled with doubt.

"Hmm?" Anya asked, "What's never going to end?"

"Uh..." Li Wei coughed twice. "It's nothing, it's nothing. How have you been lately?"

He has me in his heart, he cares about me, Anya's lips curled up into a smile.

She closed her eyes while on the phone, imagining herself as the heroine of an irresistibly romantic old movie, which she especially loved.

The love scenes in those movies are always so romantic and memorable, and those scenes are usually accompanied by long kisses—glamorous clothes and cool hairstyles.

"Feed?" Li Wei's voice startled her from her reverie. "Are you there?"

"I'm here," Anya coughed to cover her embarrassment, "I'm fine, but I've been preparing for early university applications lately. I wanted to ask if you have any plans?"

In the United States, undergraduate applications are divided into early application and regular application. Early application is the application in November, and the results are released in mid-December. Regular application is the application throughout the year, and the results are released before March of the following year.

"My plans?" Li Wei thought for a moment and then said, "I initially planned to take the academic route to Yale, but both Yale and Harvard invited me to their early admission interviews this weekend, so I'd like to go and talk to them."

"Oh, really?" Anya forced herself not to laugh. "I'm going to have an interview at Yale too."

Although her academic abilities and extracurricular achievements did not meet the requirements for applying to Yale, her school and her college counselor advised her to give it a try and prepare in advance, treating it as a mock exam.

"Congratulations!" Li Wei said. "If we both succeed, we can go to school together in the future."

Anya was already immersed in her fantasy. In her fantasy, she and Levi would live together in the off-campus apartment in New Haven. At that time, Aunt Katya and her father would no longer be able to stop them from being together. She would learn to cook. What should she cook for Levi?

"What do you think of the borscht?" she suddenly asked out of the blue.

"?" Li Wei was completely caught off guard by Anya's train of thought. "What?"

"It's nothing," Anya said. "I was just talking to Aunt Katya."

A brief silence.

"Shall we meet this weekend?" Li Wei had gradually figured out Anya's temperament, and she hoped that Li Wei would be the one to take the initiative to invite her. "See you in New Haven, I'll call you then."

Anya hung up the phone with satisfaction.

On the third day, as public opinion intensified, Ohio State University and the University of Alabama officially announced that they had abandoned their plans to recruit Levi into the NCAA.

The official announcement of these two top rugby schools instantly boosted Levi's popularity even further.

No one understood what Li Wei was waiting for.

"Honestly, I really don't understand," an ESPN commentator pointed out. "The case of Morris is right in front of us, and he's even two years older than Levi and already has a national championship title. Would anyone really be willing to give up such a great opportunity for a chance that's practically nonexistent?"

"I completely agree with you, Jimmy," another commentator said. "My assessment is that Levi might be trying to use diversity and people of color to force the NFL to back down. It seems to be generating a lot of buzz on TikTok right now, but I think it's a very risky move..."

"5

Meanwhile, two black Cadillac Escalade ESVs arrived unnoticed at Bell Ridge, in front of Don Quixote and Levi's house.

"That Russian girl again?" Don Quixote said, looking at the two affordable SUVs worth over $100,000 each. "You know, if she's really rich and beautiful, I think you could give it a try."

"This isn't Anya," Levi said, walking over to open the door. "This should be... the owner of the New York Giants."

He opened the door and saw the gaunt John Mara standing there with two burly bodyguards.

"Good evening, Mr. Mara," Levi welcomed him into the house. "It's been a long time."

"It's been a long time, Mr. Levy," John Mara said as he entered. "How have you been?"

His steps were very steady. Cancer had made him thin and bony, but he looked to be in good spirits.

After he entered the room, he shook hands with a somewhat surprised Don Quixote.

"John Mara," he said politely, "I'm the owner of the New York Giants."

"Don Quixote Cervantes," Don Quixote said, somewhat flattered, shaking hands with Marat, "I am Livy's uncle."

“You have a good nephew,” John Mara said with a smile. “A very good, a very good nephew.”

He glanced around the living room, then sat down on the sofa with an air of nonchalance.

"Looks like no women come to your house," he said, turning to look at Li Wei. "Very good. That's a valuable quality: self-discipline."

"I've been looking at the normal application process for Yale and Harvard lately," Li Wei poured him a glass of water, following the Chinese custom, "to see if my grades are good enough for a normal application."

"You've turned down the NCAA for this contract, aren't you anxious?" John Mara looked at Levi, who seemed completely unfazed by the pressure. "You know this could ruin your athletic career, preventing you from training and playing, and you won't be able to enter the draft as a free agent until you graduate from college."

"Are you kidding me? I have a cheat code," Li Wei thought. "If I really become Superman in three years, what's the point of playing rugby then?"

"I believe you wouldn't lie to me," he casually offered an excuse. "That certainty has kept me calm until now."

John Mara paused for a moment, then smiled.

"I believe very few people would say such a thing to me," he shook his head, "but I am very grateful for your trust in me, child."

He snapped his fingers, and a bodyguard immediately came up with a briefcase.

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