I find this laughable. Lumsden is now trying to branch out into other things to get him $, media attention, because he knows hs football career is one injury away from being over. An Olymplic medal would = an endorsement contract, public speaking appearances, etc. I bet we'll see him try acting in 2009, too. Is there anything this multitalented "hometown hottie" can't do? (besides start a real job. Oh, do you think that he spent his undergrad days at Mac majoring in weightlifting, with a minor in colouring maps to earn an impressive "geography" degree has something to do with that, too?).
While there are certain things about this post that ring true (eg. The shamelessly self promoting jesselumsden.ca is the perfect example of Jesse wanting to be a media darling), you really can’t blame the guy for wanting to earn a living. Like the rest of us, he has to take the gifts that he was giiven and make the best of it. I think that Jesse understands that the lifespan of a CFL player is not all that long, especially with his injury issues, and that if he is able to earn some sort of a living pushing a sled, then maybe thats the road he is going to have to follow…
Most good players in the CFL would sell their grandma’s false teeth go get an NFL contract. Jesse, like most, failed to realize this dream. Unlike most, he never really seemed to want to be a CFL player, especially not a ticat. Here, he was a wonderfully talented (yet woefully uncoached) prospect, a goodlookng “hometown hottie” who was supposed lead the Cats out of the wilderness and into respectabilty. After a few memorable games, certain fans thought he might be the best back in the league. Well three major injuries later, he has packed his bags for hopefully greener pastures. I wish him well…there the pressure wont be on him to be anymore than what he is…a good and sometimes great football player.
at any rate, I think that it is great that he seems to have been sucessful in this sledding experiment. Maybe the Esks will tell him to quit because of injury concerns. If they do…well Jesse will have a decision to make…
If JL wants to be a true media superstar, maybe he should have taken up hockey as a kid…the pay is better than CFL ball or bobsledding, and he would cetainly be more visable.
I’m happy he is doing well at bobsleigh. I don’t blame him for trying to earn a living. I hope he does well with the Eskimos, but when he plays us I hope we stop him in his tracks. I don’t expect him to have a long CFL career given his injury history.
As far as spin is concerned, I agree with CaptainKirk. Obie made an offer and a good one. Jesse refused it, gambled and lost, then he walked. When he refused, Obie made other plans as he should have. Now JL’s with an opposing team.
JL a top five running back in CFL history? Yikes! Only if you make all of the assumptions suggested by his acolytes: no more injuries (unlikely), a ten-year career (unusual for all but the most durable of RBs, highly improbable for JL), play-calling designed to showcase JL (why do that in a team sport for an injury-prone RB in a pass-oriented league?). More likely he’ll be on the list of the top five potentially terrific RBs who might have made it big if only everything had broken their way for years on end but didn’t for a variety of unfair reasons that can only have been conspiratorially designed to thwart him in his noble ambitions for recogntion of the greatness that he and his fans are certain should properly be his. For the rest of us, no way.
Good luck to him on the bobsleigh run. I’ll root for him there with enthusiasm. When it comes to footbal, I’m for the Ticats, against the Eskimos.
I agree with this 100%. Jesse didn’t turn down 150,000 to take 75,000 somewhere else, he gambled and lost. Obie, having to make sure he had a premium back, grabbed Keith when he became available. In my opinion the only thing Obie could have done differently is traded Jesse at the deadline instead of losing him in free agency.
You can’t blame Jesse from turning down the money mid-season. At that point he was probably leading the league in rushing and thought he was finally having the season he was capable of and would command HUGE money from Hamilton or any other team in free agency.
In the end I think everyone lost but Edmonton.
I thought Ken Peters was off football. 
Pringle got $250,000 seven years ago. I think if Jesse had stayed healthy and continued doing what he was doing at the time it was offered, he could have got another $50,000 by season end, which is when a player with that kind of potential would look to sign anyway. Jesse’s potential did not pan out, as I stated due to injuries. But to Hamilton, in dividends, he would have been worth more that the $75,000 Edmonton offered. Obie could have signed him but chose to look the other way. Obie, was not “forced” to sign KK and from what i’ve read from Indy fans and from what i’ve seen of KK in a Cats uniform, he’s overpaid and overated. This stuff some of you write about Jesse not wanting to be in Hamilton, but Edmonton because of his dad… Neil chose to move back and live in Burlington, and Jesse chose to go to school and settle here. I can’t say i’ll be looking the other way when Jesse sticks it to Obie when he puts on a show in Tiger-town this season with decent play calling. Thanks Obie and Marcel. :?
Mike Pringle? Not a chance! You cannot compare the two at all.
Mike Pringle 7 years ago would be 2002, ten yeas after he started his CFL career, proving reliability, durability and consistency. 10years!
How does Jesse deserve close to Pringle’s $250,000 without playing even half of that time without even half of that production? Pringle [i]earned [/i]that! Arguably the greatest running back in CFL history!
Mike Pringle:
All time leading rusher in CFL history!
Most Rushing Yards, Regular Season:
- 2,065 - Mike Pringle, Montreal (1998)
- 1,972 - Mike Pringle, Baltimore (1994)
9 seasons rushing more than 1,000 yards
Most 100+ Rushing Games, All-Time Regular Season:
70 - Mike Pringle
Most Consecutive 100+ Yards Rushing Games, Regular Season:
13 - Mike Pringle, Montreal (1998)
To even suggest that Lumsden deserves similar pay to an all-time great like Mike Pringle without providing any similar production is based on what exactly? Potential? Coulda, woulda, shoulda…injuries… That isn’t worth much at all as it was just proven with JL’s Edmonton signing.
Obie could have signed him but chose to look the other way. Obie, was not "forced" to sign KK and from what i've read from Indy fans and from what i've seen of KK in a Cats uniform, he's overpaid and overated.he wasn't forced to sign KK per se, but Jesse's refusal to sign Obie's offer of $150,000 forced him to sign a top notch starting RB like KK.
This stuff some of you write about Jesse not wanting to be in Hamilton, but Edmonton because of his dad.... Neil chose to move back and live in Burlington, and Jesse chose to go to school and settle here.I've never written that. I have no idea why he turned down Obie and I have no idea why he chose Edmonton. What I do know is, that I wanted Jesse to accept Obie's offer and stay in Hamilton, but when he refused I was gald Obie signed KK and by then I knew Jesse was gone. At that point It made no sense whatsoever to sign Jesse when you've committed to someone else like KK who had committed himself to Hamilton. KK wanted to play in Hamilton and signed the contract, Jesse, who had first dibs and who was Obie's first choice, did not.
Also to note before he signed with Edmonton, Hamilton and Toronto both made offers to him as well. He chose Edmonton based on various reasons. When he turned down the money he did which wouldve made him one of the top paid RB's and one of the top paid Canadians. He was pretty much saying then he didnt want to be in Hamilton. I think even Obie knew it then that if he turned down it he wouldnt be getting that kind of money anywhere else the writting was on the wall. Again most high calibre players who want to remain in their city resign before the become free agents look at the numbers of high profile players who signed before feb 14th. I hope we stick it to him good and our d stops him and shows he really was more hype then skill. Good RB yes great not even close worth 150,000 nope I for one am thankful he turned that down. What has he proven to even warrant that 5 good games or so.
I agree with CaptainKirk and ADAWG.
JL is not even close to being in the same category as Mike Pringle. Pringle’s performance was outstanding, consistently, for years. He and George Reed were in one category, no other CFL RB’s come close. JL is probably about three categories down from that. I think he fits with someone like Josh Ranek… a good back, occasionally explosive, not likely to have a long career (Josh didn’t, JL probably won’t).
$150K was a very generous offer for an injury-prone, talented, high-potential but low reliability, photogenic, locally raised, Canadian RB who is a ratio-buster if healthy but a ratio messer-upper when injured.
No one forced Obie to sign KK, it was just smart business. No one forced JL to turn down Obie’s offer either— JL thought he would gamble he could do better; he was wrong, he lost, he’s gone, who cares.
I hope we stuff him too when we play the Esks. Not injure him, just stop him cold. Not because I harbour any ill will, I don’t. Just because he’s a player on an opposing team.
I wouldn’t say with certainty that Lumsden “lost” signing here. He may be making less coin, but he seemed genuinely grateful to be here in Edmonton, recieving the same space in the dressing room his dad had as a player.
Stop. Please. I’m tearing up. 
I finally figured it out. Jesse left Hamilton because we didn't offer him the same locker his father used.
I don't know what emoticon would be appropriate, is there one for a sarcastic, cynical smirk?
since everyone got off the topic of him training with the possibility of being on Team CANADA something those in the CFL dont get to do cuz there is no football category in the olympics i thought id let you all know that jesse won in the 2man bobsleigh race...
wtg jesse and i am proud of ya whether or not anyone else is ... to all those do didnt think he could do it ... put that in your pipe and smoke it ...
see im pissed we lost him too ... but you guys are getting nasty with eachother ...
WTG JESSE you may be green but you will always bleed black and gold ... hope to see u back soon...
and i really hope that he gets to play us at ivor wynne atleast once b4 the inevitable injury lol sorry jesse i had to say it man ... look at the track record... i hope he doesnt get hurt but it might happen
Kirk, you asked “Is $150,000 cheap for a RB?” I was answering your question.
Based on Pringle’s $250,000 salary 7 years ago… I would not say $150,000 for a good RB in 2008 was not cheap or too much (except for KK who probably would have signed for less if you read about his NFL history). Pringle’s $250,000 seven years ago might by $280,000 today. Which means the Als paid the aging Pringle almost double what was offered Lumsden.
But, my point is and has always been, when Obie offered that contract it was before mid season… a point in time where Jesse was all the talk and on pace to continue to do amazing things. He wasn’t looking like just an ordinary RB. Then why would Lumsden sign for less than his potential value instead of waiting till season end? Only Lumsden really knows, but i completely understand his conflict. He stated he didn’t want early season distractions about a contract. He’s young with tons of potential, so why not work hard and see what his worth to the team is at when his contract expired. If his potential panned out he could have been worth $50,000 more. Still considerably less than what a Pringle would get. It didn’t work out for Lumsden and that is life. But, at that point in time, Lumsden as an anomaly with promise/potential had all the talent to do very amazing things for the TIger-Cats.
I'm not quite sure how this Pringle thing got started but I guess that even Jesse's strongest supporters would admit that Jesse was light years away from being at that level.
I think that Jesse wanted to play the free agent market. Let's say your boss calls you in and offers you a big raise in June, are you going to refuse him because your usual salary revision time is January? Of course not...not unless you know that Acme steamroller company wants you so bad that they can taste it.
Jesse's potential did not pan out, as I stated due to injuries. But to Hamilton, in dividends, he would have been worth more that the $75,000 Edmonton offered. Obie could have signed him but chose to look the other way. Obie, was not "forced" to sign KK and from what i've read from Indy fans and from what i've seen of KK in a Cats uniform, he's overpaid and overated. This stuff some of you write about Jesse not wanting to be in Hamilton, but Edmonton because of his dad.... Neil chose to move back and live in Burlington, and Jesse chose to go to school and settle here. I can't say i'll be looking the other way when Jesse sticks it to Obie when he puts on a show in Tiger-town this season with decent play calling. Thanks Obie and Marcel. Umm. Obie signed KK cause he new Lumsden might try to screw us which he did,plus Lumsden got injured like there was no tommorrow. Thank god we have Keith or we'd be in a terrible RB situation and Lumsden would become the most hated Eskimo in Hamilton. Lumsden was offered several contracts and refused because he wanted to "test" the market.He was offered a contract over voice mail on the first day of free agency and he never returned the call. Instead he signed with the Eskimos a day or so later.Then he goes on whining that Obie never offered him a contract and he was saddened by it. SUUUURRREEE! We believe you Neil and Jesse, we believe you wanted to come back and not sign with your home team and your dads old team. Sure we believe your father had no influence in your decision. Good luck Lumsden, break a leg. Or should I say injure a shoulder?