Like Father Like Son. The Spec Drew Edwards

Like Father Like Son

February 18, 2009
Drew Edwards
The Hamilton Spectator

http://www.thespec.com/Sports/article/515448
Jesse Lumsden's days in the black and gold officially came to an end yesterday without the star running back receiving a new contract offer from the Ticats.

However, Hamilton general manager Bob O’Billovich and Lumsden
have entirely different versions on how that came to pass.

Lumsden signed a one-year contract with the Edmonton Eskimos yesterday.

O’Billovich said he and head coach Marcel Bellefeuille met with Lumsden last Friday

and they expected to hear from Lumsden once he gauged the level
of interest from other Canadian Football League teams.

“He never did call us.”

…But Lumsden says he did have contact with the club.

O'Billovich said the situation in Edmonton may be a better fit for Lumsden, who wasn't being guaranteed a starting job by the Tiger-Cats.

“We explained to him on Friday that we were open to having him
on our football team but it’s not going to be as ‘the guy’ to start out with.”


With Kenton Keith signed for primary running back money
and Jesse’s history of games missed due to injuries

how could Obie and Marcel promise him the starting RB job?

Exactly. They couldn’t.

Obie tried to lock up JL as feature back last year, but JL refused. He said $150K wasn’t good enough, he preferred rolling the dice. He rolled them, but crapped out. Tough luck. Maybe Neil will make up the $75K JL’s in the hole as of now thanks to Dad’s bad advice. JL needs a new agent.

Some here think Obie should have paid “whatever it takes” to get JL to stay. What silliness.

Some here think Obie “blew it” by not trading JL last year for a draft choice or whatever other dregs he could get for JL at the time. Imagine the howls from Ticat fans if he had actually done that. Especially of course from the people who are blaming Obie now.

Some here are so enthralled by the mythical wonders of the heroic JL that they actually have come to think he was born in Hamilton! Delusional. They probably have seen him walking on water too… with their very own eyes…

The guy’s gone. He’s with a rival team now. I wish him good health and poor outings against the Ticats.

People who "hide" behind e-mail have something to hide ...

Be a man Jesse ... negotiate in good faith "face to face".

I'm disappointed that you did not show the team more respect after they stood behind you when you pursued your NFL aspirations and when you were unable to play because of injury.

When he was interviewed on the weekend by CHCH he expressed a "fair but firm" attitude and appeared to remain open to all options ... it is painfully obvious that he knew exactly what was going to transpire.

I don't feel like wishing you luck Jesse because I think you have burned some bridges in this town.

Although I do wish him good health and luck, I agree with you post completely I don’t think he ever wanted to be here. Obie has nothing to be ashamed of you can’t negotiate with someone who doesn’t want to negotiate with you.

A couple of years ago,Lumsden and Mariuz stood at centre field and asked the TiCat faithful to be patient and hang in with the team. Well we fans did but Jesse didn't. That says more about him than anything else that I've read.
Pat Lynch (the old guy in section 7)

From the Spec:

"I think the club was more than fair with Jesse in every respect. There's no hard feelings. It's part of the business."

Lumsden also wrote he heads to Edmonton with no bad blood.

"I harbor no ill feelings what so ever towards the organization its a business and thats all. But i have great respect and good relationships with everyone in that organization."

"Methinks he doth protest too much" - on both sides. Tragic story...especially if he succeeds and stays healthy.

red24

Well said Pat.

With KK signed for $200K I am sure Jesse is smart enough to know that he would not have a chance to be the #1 RB for the Cats this year.
Jesse did what he had to do.
He will be given every chance to be a starter and star in Edmonton.

Lets call that what it was. Somebody from the media department probably said, “Jesse after the game would you mind saying something to rally our fans after a tough season?” then they gave him a microphone.

Now you’re questioning his integrity?

Lumsden reminds me of Damon Stoudamire and Vince Carter. The media hyped this guy so much that he appeared larger than life. But when he moves to another team, he'll just be another guy on the squad. I hope he's ready for that. He's been Hamilton's media darling for so long that he may miss it.

Jesse's comments struck me as those that a leader would make but I guess we, the fans, were mistaken. Leaders lead and followers follow.If your dream is to be an Eskimo, like your dad,then by all means follow your dream. Maybe in the grand scheme of things,football is just a game but many TiCat fans would beg to differ.We expect our leaders to be there in good and bad times.

Pat Lynch(the old guy in section 7)

Great post sir.

On further reading sir you arent saying that jesse let you down are you? I should hope you arent one of the many fans that feel jesse owes them something. He gave all he could and anyone thinking he is their leader is basically putting something on him that they shouldnt. He is a football player and was loyal to the tigercats every minute he was here under contract and when that contract is up he is free to do as he chooses. People who make a football player out to be their leader need to re examine the thought process because he gets paid to run with a football and he did that and also gave of himself off the field. People make this out to be something its not. Fans need to put it in perspective and look at the business. Loyalty probably ended when obie told him he was welcome back but not as the feature back. I am sure jesse might have wanted a CHANCE to compete for that job rather than be relegated in feb. it works both ways.

But didnt the great and powerful obie say he wanted to feature both of them last year? anyone who names a starter now is taking away from camp and competition. You shouldnt start because of what you earn ron and if that was the case why didnt printers start down the stretch? training camp can decide your starters just fine and naming the starter in feb is silly. I dont blame jesse after obie said that cus why sign somewhere that just told you that arent going to start?

Hell has nor fury like a Ticat fan scorned. :lol:

So Jesse left to play in Edmonton where they have a QB can actually throw an acturate pass 99% of the time, and we all know football players prefer natural turf. I think Edmonton will use Jesse more out of the backfield on short pass and run plays. Ricky Ray puts the ball where it should be and doesn't hang the receiver out to dry, reaching for passes behind and over their heads. Printers passes are all over the map in that type of play.
(Probably another reason Jesse didn't want to come to Toronto) :slight_smile:

He is supposedly going to make 80,000 plus incentives in Edmonton, maybe he will earn up to 200,00 with bonuses. Wouldn't surprise me. He reportedly made 80,000 last year in Hamilton and turned down a 150,000 contract for 2009. Who's to say that 150,000 wasn't a total he could make injury free. People are trying to make it sound like 150,000 was the base salary. Maybe it was but I doubt it, Obie has to make himself look good to the fans.

Poor Obie he finding out how hard it is to please some of the Hamilton fans, if he doesn't sign fan favourites he's a bum. But then he can't sign other players because they're too dirty. :stuck_out_tongue: Imagine that some players are too dirty to play in Hamilton the home of Angelo Mosca. Poor Rob Murphy, had to sign with the Argos because he was too dirty for Hamilton. :o

But make sure you all buy tickets so you can tell Jesse and Rob how you really feel about them when they come to town. This is our League. :thup:

A G.M. with less integrity may very well have told Jesse
that he could compete at Training Camp for starting RB.

just to suck him in to sticking around for spot duty
at a low base salary with little chance to earn bonuses,

but Jesse is not stupid, with his history of injuries,

he could see the handwrting on the wall in Hamilton
with a top paid premium back already in the fold.

I agree with Beetlejuice. This is a cut-throat business if there ever was one. Any loyalty that exists is one-sided and that is players being loyal to the team. Ask Mike Morreale, Hitchcock, Woodcock, Dickerson, Miles, etc., if this is a business. Most of these guys have families and were all out of a job when the Ti-Cats deemed them invaluable. I'm not saying these guys shouldn't have been released, I'm just saying they CFLers gotta look out for themselves. Hopefull that involves committing to the Ti-Cats, but if it doesn't you can't blame them.

And you’d think that would be obvious to any fan.

He’ll be much more than a “media darling” if he rushes for 100+ yards per game.

Great post sir.