Wendell Phifield News Today

42 trotted out to first base. >> reporter: weve learned in detail about this historic decision that until now was not known by jackie robinsons widow, rickys grandson or even ken burns. >> this is stoelgtsly new to me. >> reporter: turns out before signs the contract ricky slipped into this church hud manied with the pastor dr. wendell phifield whose daughter is speaking about it with us for the first time. >> he started pacing and wore a groove in the carpet, went around and around for 45 minut...

He paced this room for nearly an hour. finally shrieking i got it and slumping down in a chair. >> wiped tears from his eyes and said, wendell, this was a decision so complex, so far reaching from so many pitfalls, and still filled with so much good, if it was right. i had to work it out in this room and with you, and i had to ask god about it. >> reporter: to protect rickys privacy, the pastor told only his wife who wrote a five-page essay we recently found in an archive. the pastors wife said ...