“I was like, ‘I’m almost losing the love for this game being in this situation,’” Hopkins said with a quiver in his voice. “I could talk to Ran like that because he understands me. He was like, ‘I see it in your eyes that this isn’t the place you might want to be. We had that tough conversation.’ The next day I was traded.”

Sports fans appreciate inspirational stories that accompany a player’s journey to the pinnacle of their respective sport. While the Chiefs will seek to become t