Mitchell, who e-mailed The Province twice to state no deal had been done, emphatically backed up his disdain for the NFL upon joining the Lions two seasons ago. The NFL can keep its money, the 26-year-old said, until he's good and ready to give it another try.
“I didn’t sign in the NFL because I actually had the power to say I don’t want to come right now,” Mitchell explained from his home in Virginia Beach, Va. "If you’re looking at life through your bank accounts you’ll never find peace.
“I was all ready to sign, but then I had all these feelings and emotions. I really didn’t feel right. The NFL was selling me purely on their brand. ‘You’re going to like it because everyone else likes it.’ I told [Miami] your money doesn’t mean anything to me.”
The decision by the 26-year-old All-CFL defensive tackle led to an acrimonious split between Mitchell and the agent, the second time that has happened in the past month. On Dec. 18, Mitchell also terminated a relationship with his previous agent, Andrew Bondarowicz, who had arranged tryouts with the Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles.
Mitchell was also slated to work out for Houston Texans a week ago, but the offer was pulled after Mitchell dumped Canter and struck out on his own. He then contacted the Lions last Thursday and expressed his desire to return to the CFL.
“Khalif turned down a multi-year contract with almost 95k in virtually guaranteed money with the Dolphins in order to take less and go back to the CFL,? Canter told the Vancouver Sun, in an e-mail. “I disagreed with both his decision-making process, his refusal to listen to his advisors, and how he handled the situation. And, thus, I terminated my contractual and agent relationship with Khalif.?
Seriously though, if this is what is going to make him happy good for him, but I don't know if it's a very smart decision. Sadly (as Dylan Barker can tell him), life doesn't always go as planned and football careers can be cut short very easily. That's why I never blame these guys for going where the $$ is. I hope it works out for him.
nobody could ever accuse Mitchell of being a sellout.
It is refreshing in this day and age to encounter an individual who led by the heart and not the almighty dollar.
(not sure a greedy son of a gun like me could have resisted the same monetary temptation :o )
what a shame Mitchell's previous agents dropped him for the desire to return to the Leos..which is fine as another willing agent can pick up the commissions from the BC contract.
Not sure why you would admire a guy who screwed over two of his own agents in the past month.
According to a January 6th Vancouver Sun article by Mike Beamish, Mitchell and his agent, Andrew Bondarowicz who had supported and worked with Mitchell for years, agreed that Mitchell would showcase himself in the CFL and pursue NFL opportunities. Bondarowicz periodically updated several NFL teams on Mitchell’s progress with the Lions and then secured tryouts for Mitchell with three NFL teams. At that point, Mitchell suddenly dumped Bondarwicz without giving reason and retained agent David Cantor. That relationship lasted a few weeks until Mitchell dumped Cantor a few weeks ago, again without explanation. Mitchell was subsequently refused a tryout with the Houston Texans when the Texans discovered that Mitchell had dumped yet another agent.
Mitchell has the physical skills and talent but lacks maturity and professionalism - a point that even BC Lions player personnel director Roy Shivers concedes according to the Vancouver Sun article.
For turning down a multi year NFL contract and at least half a million dollars to play in the CFL.
If he screwed his agents, then yes, that’s a bad thing and that is not admirable. Maybe that’s the real story, maybe not. Don’t know if we’ll ever know the real story. But I try to keep an open mind and remember who works for whom.
If Mitchell was so in love with the CFL and the BC Lions, why did he encourage his agent to pursue opportunities in the NFL and why did he CONTINUE to persue those opportunities after dumping his first agent and STILL CONTINUE to persue the NFL after dumping the second agent until the Texans finally told him to get lost.
Mitchell is a head case. He made an irrational and foolish short-term decision which he will come to regret if and when he finally comes to his senses.
if the movie 'jerry maguire' has taught us anything, its that agents only care about money, not the player.
with that in mind, good on mitchell for doing what makes him happy and not going along with his agents plan to use him to pad his own bank account like a leach.
He helped B.C. to 54 sacks and dazzled his teammates with his piano playing ability.
“It’s a great feeling to know that I am returning to the organization that gave me an opportunity to develop into the player I am today,? said Mitchell. “There were choices out there, but in the end I want to be a Lion, I want to be part of this league and I want to spend more time in BC. We have amazing players on both sides of the ball and a very good chance to repeat as champions.?
His agents had a vested interest in where he plays. The NFL meant more $$ for them so obviously they'd want him to go play in the US. Good on him for staying in the CFL for reasons other than $$.
I don't know how much you Ti-cat fans know about Khalif Mitchell, but he's definitely a different cat. While pleasantly surprised to have him back in BC, in retrospective it kind of make sense. Even from a financial point of view, he gets more certainty in the CFL and make no mistake, he'll be very well compensated.
He can always take a shot at the NFL in the future if he wants. But as he mentioned, many players who play in the CFL are very happy here and don't see the NFL as what it's hyped up to be. We tend to assume all of them want to play in the NFL if given an opportunity, but that's not always the case.
