I was watching Monster with Charlize Theron the other night, and man, that movie hit me different. Charlize plays Aileen Wuornos, the first female serial killer ever recorded. A prostitute who got tired of being used, played, and taken advantage of by every man she crossed paths with. One day she snapped and started flipping the script, taking out the very people who tried to take from her.
And the whole time I’m watching it, I’m thinking… that’s me in PML.
Because every time I load up, it feels like somebody’s trying to use me. Every opponent acting like they cool before the game, smiling like a trick buying time, then boom — soon as kickoff happens, they flip. They think they’re gonna have their way with my hole . And that’s when my inner Aileen wakes up.
She killed her johns. I kill drives.
She was tired of being taken advantage of. I’m tired of getting glitched, baited, and disrespected.
Every time she saw another man pull up, it was survival mode. Every time I see another coach line up in bunch tight end, it’s the same thing. I’m locking in, thinking, “You’re not about to run your little corner route special on me again. Not today.”
Aileen didn’t plan her kills. She reacted. She saw danger and handled it. That’s me reading a post route late and diving in front of the ball for a pick. I don’t plan it, I just feel it. Instincts.
And when she pulled the trigger, she didn’t celebrate. She didn’t smile. She just cleaned herself off and went right back to it like it was part of the job. That’s exactly how I am after a big win. No celebrations. No dancing. Just reload and line up the next victim. Because in this league, there’s always another john waiting. Another user who thinks I’m sweet. Another one I gotta put down to survive another week.
Charlize transformed herself for that role. She got ugly for it. She leaned into the grime, the trauma, the pain. And I feel that too. When I load up, I gotta transform. I’m not Ke anymore. I’m not the nice guy from the group chat. I’m the digital version of Aileen Wuornos in cleats. Cold, detached, laser-focused on the next kill.
And the funny thing is, people see the highlights and think I’m enjoying it. They think I like the violence. But it’s survival. It’s revenge. It’s therapy. Every touchdown I score, every interception I take to the house, it’s me taking my power back. Just like Aileen did.
The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. She used her trauma to fuel her. She was the villain in everyone else’s story, but in her mind, she was finally standing up for herself. That’s how I feel in PML. Every time the league counts me out, every time they talk about the Ravens or the Colts or whoever’s hot this week, I take it personal. I turn it into energy.
I’m not out here looking for victims. But if you line up against me, just know the energy’s different now. I’m not coming to play safe. I’m coming to end drives, ruin stats, and make examples.
Charlize won an Oscar for that role. She gave everything she had to it. And now I get it. Because if I’m gonna play this part, I gotta win a chop for mine. I gotta embrace the dark side, tap into that serial killer energy, and turn every game into a crime scene.
I’m not just trying to win games anymore. I’m trying to survive them.
Every week’s another john. Every snap’s another test.
And if you line up across from me, just know one thing — I’m not the victim anymore.
