The kicker stands behind a podium in the Heidelberg Room, on the top floor of the Baton Rouge Hilton, and pauses for a moment while grown men dry their eyes. Mo Isom has just finished telling a story of loss and brokenness and occasional self-loathing, a story that Isom has lived for much of the last 22 years. Across the room there have been gasps and sniffles, but now that the speech has turned from darkness to light, everyone’s eager for an easier subject.

“How far out can you kick?” a man shouts.

Isom lights up: “I can hit it pretty consistently from 51 yards…”

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Story written by Jordan Conn. Posted with permission.