Henoc Muamba seems to draw plenty of suitors every time the ratio-breaking linebacker becomes available.
“I’ve been blessed where every time I get in the situation of free agency I always have the opportunity to choose my next move,” Muamba said. “Not everyone gets to do that, so I realize that and I never take it for granted, which is one of the reasons why I take it seriously.”
Muamba uses a methodical approach to selecting each team, particularly when there are lots of franchises interested.
“Toronto was in the mix at one point, Ottawa, B.C., Winnipeg, obviously Montreal. And then in the NFL, the Houston Texans, the New England Patriots, along with a few other ones as well,” Muamba said.
There was a new factor in the decision for Muamba: a daughter. Wife Jessica gave birth in February to Thea, whose name has Greek origin and means Goddess of love and peace.
So when the Riders released Muamba his focus was squarely on his new baby girl.
“My life was completely changed,” Muamba said. “I got a bunch of texts from people who truly care for me, but it didn’t really matter as much as getting to know my daughter and understand my new role as a father and husband to my wife.”
While Muamba saw value in visiting the teams that were wooing him, the time away from his family made it tougher this time around.
“I don’t view it as a free trip, it’s really a business trip to me,” Muamba said. “When I came to Montreal I didn’t come here to enjoy the city and see the nice sights and eat the good food that’s out here, I literally came here to meet the new coaching staff – it’s a major decision in my life – see the changes, it was a place where I’ve been before, I really wanted to see if there were some changes.”
Many factors led Muamba to make the final decision to sign in Montreal.
“The Alouettes patience, the changes that I saw, the growth from the first time that I was here to now. I believe in Kavis Reed, I had a chance to talk to Andrew Wetenhall, Patrick Boivin, Mike Sherman, literally had dinner with these guys and I realized they really care about players and they’re really passionate about the game of football,” Muamba said.
When the Muamba’s emigrated to Canada at the age of five, his parents chose to live in Montreal and the family stayed there for nearly six years – French is Muamba’s first language – before settling in Mississauga. There was an existing connection to La Belle Province for Muamba and factors such as those took precedence over pure dollars.
“I didn’t just choose the Alouettes for specifically the bottom line or the money that was offered to me because there were other teams that were offering very similar amounts,” Muamba said.
“Multiple times in my career I have chosen places to go where I was getting less money but people don’t know that. One of the reasons why I came here is because of the change that I believe is going to happen here. I know the history, I know what it’s been like last year and the year before, I played against them and I’ve had friends that played on this team.”
The Alouettes finished last in the CFL with a 3-15 record in 2017 and allowed the most points in the league (580 or over 32 per game). Fellow ratio breaker, defensive end Jamaal Westerman was brought in to bolster the pass rush and he recruited Muamba. The two of them believe they can help orchestrate a major turnaround in Montreal.
“The Toronto Argonauts are a testament to how beautiful this league and this game that we play. They turned everything around. If you look back at that and you look at where the Montreal Alouettes are right now, we’re at a better place now than they were last year,” Muamba said.
“For anyone to think that going forward next year winning is far-fetched for us, they have to think twice about that.”
