After practice on Saturday, Ticat owner (he’d want me to say “Caretaker”) Bob Young addressed the team on the field. That’s unusual.
He told his ownership origin story, detailing his relationship with his brother Michael and the importance of the team’s commitment to the fans and the community. Football players can be a cynical bunch (so can journalists, for that matter) but I think Young’s story resonates because a) he delivers it in that charming, folksy manner and b) it happens to be true. More the second than the first.
“The underlying principle behind the story is about how much this team means to this community, embodied by Bob’s brother,” head coach Kent Austin said. “It brings a personal and authentic message to the players that helps them understand why what we do is valuable.”
Young also presented quarterback Jeremiah Masoli with a plaque to commemorate his CFL record 23 completions in the come-from-behind win over Edmonton on July 23. Masoli had a pretty big grin on his face – I’m sure it caught him by surprise – and made sure to credit his teammates in the shortest acceptance speech for an award ever.
“It was a great accomplishment and you have to have a lot of things go right and a lot players playing great around you. But it is one of those rare things you see in sports and I think it was great that the team wanted to honour him,” Austin said. “Jeremiah’s a very unselfish guy and he pointed out to the entire team that it was those guys that made it possible. But it’s something that he’ll be able to look at and go ‘I remember that day.””
•••
The final round of NFL cuts were announced today and former Ticat defensive back Erik Harris has made the 53-man roster of the New Orleans Saints.
I could not be happier for the man.
As I’ve said many times before, I’m not a Ticat fan but I find myself invested in the individual success of certain players, coaches and front office types I’ve covered. Harris is among those people. I covered him when he came to Hamilton in 2013, through the birth of his twins Isaiah and Elijah – he got stuck at the Buffalo Airport on the way back after their birth and ended up forking out $190 to get home – and then onto his chance with the Saints (which came about with some help from former Ticat teammate and current Saint Delvin Breaux.)
Harris has received a ton of social media support from former Ticats teammates and fans and he gave credit to Hamilton special teams coordinator Jeff Reinebold for helping get him ready for the NFL.
@Jeff_Reinebold special teams is so much easier when you are well equipped with technique and sound on fundamentals. Thank you
— Erik Harris (@e_harris_31) September 2, 2016
There’s a similarity between Breaux and Harris beyond their shared CFL history. Both guys  fully embraced their Canadian experience, seeing it not as a alternative route to the NFL but as something important in and of itself. I fully believe both players would have happily spent their entire careers in Hamilton had The League not come calling.  The Ticats gave both guys an opportunity when absolutely no one else would and they’ve both expressed their gratitude for that. That both seem to be genuinely good and decent people just makes it that much more enjoyable to see them succeed.
