Jason Mitchell Street, is a fictional character in the NBC/DirecTV (The 101 Network) television drama Friday Night Lights, portrayed by Scott Porter. Introduced as the small town "All-American," Jason was the former starting quarterback of the Dillon Panthers before an injury during the season-opening football game results in paralysis of his lower body.
His character was inspired by the real-life events in the career of David Edwards, a high school player in San Antonio, Texas.
[edit] Season 1
Jason begins the series as the senior starting quarterback of the Dillon Panthers. He is ranked as one of the top high school quarterbacks in the nation, with a scholarship offer to the University of Notre Dame, but during the first game of the season he suffers a severe spinal cord injury while successfully tackling a defender in what would have been a game-ending touchdown. It is later determined that the C7-T1 injury will leave him with paralysis of his lower body and with only limited use of his hands.
During Jason's hospital stay his (then) girlfriend Lyla begins an affair with Tim Riggins, Jason's best friend. The two manage to hide the affair until Jason sees the two in a very intimate looking moment. He confronts Lyla about it, but she lies and says she is not cheating on him. Jason however isn't convinced and after his first Rugby game slugs Tim and challenges him to a fight, a fight that Tim walks away from out of shame and guilt over his actions. Jason tries his best to hate Lyla for her part in the affair but comes to admit he still loves her and proposes to her. Lyla says yes, but the relationship quickly begins to fall apart. After catching Jason with another woman, Lyla breaks off the engagement, ending their relationship for good.
While in rehab Jason's roommate, Herc, harasses and pushes Jason to the edge, trying to get him fired up. When he's finally pushed Jason too far he reveals that he was trying to get him motivated so that he could introduce him to his future. That future would be the sport of wheelchair rugby. Having something to strive for, Jason focuses solely on becoming the best player he can and manages to get an invitation to try out for the US National Quad Rugby Team. Putting school on hold he spends two weeks pushing himself and showing everyone what he can do. When the time comes he is disappointed when he is not chosen to join the team and go to Beijing. While he is nursing his wounds over not being chosen for the team, Herc informs him that the reason that he was not chosen was due to his lack of experience with his wheelchair.
As if all these hardships were not enough Jason soon has to live the life of a pariah when his parents bring a lawsuit against Coach Taylor for not properly training him how to tackle someone. Many in the town do not like this, particularly Jason himself as he knew that it wasn't the coaches fault but due to the financial burden on his parents over his medical expenses he goes along with it. When a settlement hearing is called Jason takes a stand and writes out exactly how much he thinks he is owed. That amount is never disclosed but the settlement is agreed upon.
Prior to the semi-finals for the state championship, Jason, now focused for the first time in a long time, takes it upon himself to mentor his replacement, Matt Saracen. During one of their training sessions Coach Taylor sees this and after they win a big game offers Jason a coaching position. Jason is instrumental in the Panther's winning the State Championship and the first season ends with Jason giving the team a pep talk about preparing for the next season.
[edit] Season 2
Jason spends the beginning of the second season as an assistant coach to the Panthers. Not agreeing with the direction the team is heading thanks to the new head coach, he quits after the first game of the new football season. After Coach Taylor returns from TMU, Jason is given the opportunity to come back to the team. He declines and tell Taylor he needs to stop living in the past and trying to be the Jason Street he was before the accident.
Before Coach returns, Jason and Tim head to Mexico after Jason regains feeling back in his right hand and learns of an experimental surgery that can possibly help him walk again. The risky surgery worries Tim, who calls Lyla for help. During a private boat ride, the two confront Jason and try to talk him out of the surgery, but Jason does not listen and tells both of them he is tired of being stuck in a wheelchair and doesn't care if he dies during the surgery. He then proceeds to jump off the boat. While in the water, he finally realizes the mistake he is making and tells Tim and Lyla that he wants to go home.
Later in the season, Jason meets a waitress named Erin during a bad date. The two end up sleeping together, which results in Erin becoming pregnant. The season ends with Jason convincing her to keep the baby after being told by doctors that his injury would prevent him from being able to conceive a child.
[edit] Season 3
Season 3 picks up almost a year later. Erin has given birth to a baby boy named Noah. Jason is shown to be a great father and has come to love Erin very much. However, Erin becomes wary of Jason's ability to support her and Noah, especially when Jason says he wants to get in the highly-risky business of 'flipping' houses. He, Herc, and the Riggins brothers buy Buddy Garrity's old house, which they fix up and successfully sell. Despite this, Erin tells Jason that she cannot support herself and Noah living in Dillon and intends to move back to New Jersey with her parents and raise their son there.
Jason meets a sports agent at Dillon High School during practice one day, who gives Jason his card and tells him to look him up whenever he is in New York. However, the sports agent only gave Jason his card due to the fact the agent was trying to sign Jason's former teammate Wendell Foley. Jason misinterprets the statement and goes to New York with Tim believing he will land a job at the agency and provide a way to support and stay in Erin and Noah's lives. The agent, surprised to see him, tells Jason that he has graduates from Ivy League schools fighting to get into the firm daily, and that he himself must maintain quotas just to keep his own job. Furthermore, Foley had decided to not sign with the agent.
In an effort to prove himself, Jason convinces Foley to sign with the agency. Jason shows up at the office with Foley in tow and receives an entry-level job as a result. He later shows up to Erin's home, telling her that has made major changes in his life so that he could be in her life and that of their child if she lets him. She accepts.
[edit] Season 5
In "Perfect Record" Jason comes to see Coach Taylor to see he if he is interested in taking a college coaching job. We find out he has been promoted to a full agent status, and that he is married to Erin (who wants to have another child). At an East Dillon practice, Street points out to Coach Taylor that Vince's dad is taking an overly active approach to Vince's future. While supportive of his former coach at East Dillon, Street comes to the rivalry game supporting the Dillon Panthers, having been the former starting quarterback there. He shows displeasure when the East Dillon Lions run up the score against the Panthers.