New baby keeps Als’ Wieneke focused
Distraction from CFL uncertainty
There’s no certainty Jake Wieneke and the Alouettes will play this season due to the coronavirus pandemic. But the 25-year-old receiver isn’t spending endless hours contemplating what might be.
Wieneke became a first-time father in early May. That alone is a full-time job. He also was working as a substitute physical education teacher in Minnesota until COVID -19 shut classroom doors.
Adding intrigue to the story is the fact Wieneke lives in the Minneapolis suburb of Maple Grove, not far from where George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was killed on May 25 while in police custody — former officer Derek Chauvin applying his knee to the back of Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
Wieneke is married to a black woman.
“It’s heartbreaking what happened,” Wieneke said Friday during a video conference call. “It was a crazy couple of weeks (here). Initially, that first week, there was a lot of looting. It was crazy and lawless.
“But there has been a lot of good that came from it,” he added. “Obviously, there was a lot of division initially, (but) people are starting to come together. A lot of people were trying to bring about change, doing it peacefully. A lot of that didn’t get reported.”
Both Wieneke and quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. had sons born in May. Adams’s wife gave birth on the same day Floyd was murdered.
“Both our sons are going to grow up as black men in this society. Just to realize that could (have been) our kids,” Wieneke said. “It makes it more personal.”
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Wieneke had a standout rookie season for the Als in 2019, catching 41 passes for 569 yards while scoring eight touchdowns. He was the East Division’s nominee as outstanding freshman.
But he’s uncertain whether he’ll be able to build on that or whether the Als, who finished with a 10-8 record and made the playoffs for the first time since 2014, can reproduce that magic. CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie has stated no games will be played before September, the season clearly in jeopardy.
“Nothing concrete’s in place. That can be frustrating,” Wieneke admitted. “We want to play and we love playing. It seems like it’s been a long off-season. It’s easier to prepare when you know you’re having a season. That uncertainty can get tough and frustrating.
“Hopefully we’ll have a season. The plans are more concrete in the NFL, but I think we’ll get there in the CFL.”