EP 7 - The Quarterback and the Con Artist

With his childhood friend Anna Dergan by his side, Erik continues to fight the seemingly insurmountable legal challenges that are poised to destroy him. Bogus domestic violence charges. A stalled criminal investigation into Cortney Baird's theft and abuse. And a conservatorship that enabled that theft and abuse and now seems to be protecting a scammer. Things do not look good for Erik Kramer. Not at all. But 'it's always darkest before dawn' and what happens next… no one sees coming.

With his childhood friend Anna Dergan by his side, Erik continues to fight the seemingly insurmountable legal challenges that are poised to destroy him. Bogus domestic violence charges. A stalled criminal investigation into Cortney Baird's theft and abuse. And a conservatorship that enabled that theft and abuse and now seems to be protecting a scammer. Things do not look good for Erik Kramer. Not at all. But 'it's always darkest before dawn' and what happens next… no one sees coming.

In an incredible twist of fate, Erik suddenly starts regaining his mental faculties and quickly realizes Cortney induced him into marrying her and has been stealing from him for years. So he asks her to move out of his house. And tells her he wants a divorce. But Cortney doesn't leave. Instead, she calls 911 and claims Erik assaulted her. And all the sheriff's deputies, distict attorneys and judges involved - take her side. 

Erik's friends and family get him placed under a conservatorship to protect him. They are told this conservatorship will oust con artist Cortney Baird from Erik's home. And from Erik's life. But all of a sudden, a court-appointed conservatorship attorney, who is charged with looking out for Erik's welfare, actually starts siding with con artist Cortney Baird. And he begins to make the case to an LA County judge that Erik's family and friends are the real scammers that he needs protection from.

Erik's childhood friend Anna Dergan uncovers evidence that Cortney is stealing from Erik and reports her to the local Sheriff's office. But this crafty con woman hatches an evil-genius plan to escape prosecution and turn the legal system against Erik's friends and family. 

While Erik is recovering from that gunshot wound to the head and has the mental capacity of a 6-year-old, a woman from his past suddenly reappears in his life offering to help. Red flag # 1 of every single con artist working today. At first she seems to have Erik's best interests at heart. But Erik's childhood friend suspects something sinister afoot. 

Though Erik's mother and father meet and fall madly in love with one another, married life for the Karmers is unexpectedly fraught with tension and misery. Erik grows up, in a weird way, completely estranged from his mother. She raises him at arm's length and the two don't actually become close until the last year of her life when Erik is in his late 40's. And when his mother dies, it starts a chain of events that leads Erik to 'The Good Night Inn" with a gun in his hand and a headstrong determination to end his life.

Another force that profoundly shapes the breadth and depth of Erik's life is his father Karl Kramer. Karl was the visionary and sole architect of Erik's football career. All he ever wanted was for his son to go pro. And growing up, that singular focus and steadfast determination cost Erik enormously. 

The path that leads Erik to try and end his life is circuitous and stricken with tragedy and depression. A dark turning point is the sudden and unexpected death of his 18 year-old-son Griffen.

"The pain of being alive" Erik battles crippling depression for decades. It starts during his tenure with the Chicago Bears, and continues throughout the rest of his NFL career and retirement. His condition is possibly attributed to CTE, a brain disease common amongst football players. But when Erik survives his suicide attempt, the last thing in the world his freinds and family are expecting is a devious con woman showing up out of nowhere and moving into Erik's home - under the guise of taking care of him.