Trouble Along the Way

St. Anthony's College is on the verge of closing due to severe financial distress. Father Burke hires a down-and-out former big-time football coach, Steve Williams, hoping a successful program will attract tuition, donations, and prestige.

Steve Williams first turns down the job, seeing it as a lost cause. He changes his mind after learning that his ex-wife Anne plans to sue for custody of their daughter Carole, giving him a personal stake in the program's survival.

Anne's intent is not to win custody so much as to pressure Steve into an affair. She uses the threat as leverage, hoping to manipulate him and the situation for her own ends.

Social Services worker Alice Singleton is introduced and immediately wary of Steve due to a personal history with a similar dynamic to Carole's. She begins preparing a report that could sway custody decisions in Anne's favor.

To boost revenue, Father Burke uses his clerical connections to schedule St. Anthony's against high-profile Catholic colleges like Villanova and Notre Dame. The aim is to generate excitement, attract crowds, and secure funding through marquee opponents.

With physically weak players, Steve enrolls beefy freshmen as star athletes through deception to craft a winning squad. The ploy produces immediate on-field success but sows ethical trouble for everyone involved.

Burke learns of Steve's dishonest recruiting methods and confronts him. He disbands the sports program, hoping to stop the scandal and protect the school, even though it jeopardizes its future.

Alice submits a report to the custody authorities that portrays Steve as an unfit parent. The document becomes a pivotal element in the legal maneuvering surrounding Carole's future.

During the custody hearing, Alice repudiates her own report, admitting bias and recognizing Anne's lack of genuine affection for Carole. She also reveals that she has developed feelings for Steve.

The judge halts the proceedings and places Carole in the state's custody, ordering a new caseworker to reassess the situation. The interim decision stalls any final ruling on Carole's future.

In a surprising turn, the Church agrees to continue funding St. Anthony's. Burke resigns as rector, convinced that his self-interest had prolonged his tenure and that stepping down is in the school's best interest.

Before leaving, Burke reinstates Steve as coach, offering forgiveness for his unscrupulous methods as actions taken in service of his child. The gesture signals a pragmatic reconciliation rather than moral absolution.

Carole leaves the campus with Alice, and the film hints that Steve and Alice will marry and form a new family. The ending leaves viewers with a sense of tentative, hopeful reconciliation for the trio.