Roger Ferguson was a judge for Metro-Dade County. He left a troubled life in an impoverished area and became an All-Pro in basketball and later a judge. Ferguson has a son, Matt, that is a star player with the collegiate Miami Sunblazers. But Ferguson had a secret addiction—gambling, at dog and horse tracks, and racked up a huge gambling debt from a racketeer named Pagone, and while the judge has been paying his debt (by collecting money from the lawyer Benedict in exchange for setting low bonds, ROR, or dismiss cases against known drug dealers and homicide suspects), Pagone loses patience with the judge and demands he make his son throw his upcoming playoff game to pay off his debt. Ferguson went to his son who immediately refused to do that, sending the judge into a near suicidal state,