RECEIVER PLAYS ON FOR HIS MOTHER
Romond Deloatch lifts the sleeve of his Ottawa Redblacks practice jersey and points to a tattoo just below his shoulder. It’s the face of his mother, Wanda, with the words “Always With Me.”
Wanda Deloatch died of cancer early in 2013. She was 46. It was devastating for Romond, who was then 19. A hair stylist, Wanda was one of those people everyone liked.
“When she passed away, there were so many people there (at the funeral) — maybe 250 or 300,” said Deloatch. “It was like Michael Jackson had passed away, almost like a party. My mom had said she didn’t want anybody to be sad. She wanted us to play her favourite music so that’s what we did — R. Kelly, Jagged Edge, Mary J. Blige, Ja Rule. It was a celebration of her life. I didn’t realize how many people she had touched.”
Life went on. It had to. Before she died, Wanda talked to thenTemple football coach Matt Rhule and asked that he make sure her son graduated. Romond did, with a degree in criminology.
“I was a Momma’s Boy,” said Deloatch on Tuesday during Day 2 of the Redblacks mini-camp. “I’m following in her footsteps so much. I’m down to earth, I can gravitate to any crowd. That’s what she was pretty good at, keeping a smile on her face. I think I got that from her. She’d been sick for like two years. We didn’t know that. She was walking around with cancer. She helped me pass my SATs, she’d help me study. If she’d died the year before, I probably wouldn’t be here right now, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish what I did.
“I always think about her. Before games, before practices, I say prayers for her. (When she died) I allowed it to bring me down. But she didn’t want me to be like that. She told me not to worry about her. I’m good on my feet now, I’m happy.”
A tight end at Temple, Deloatch bulked up to 250 pounds and became a hybrid, also playing defensive end in third-down situations. He got looks from the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs last year. It didn’t work out. He got a call from the Redblacks, telling him they wanted him as a receiver. There was a condition, though.
“They told me they liked me as a receiver, but I had to lose weight, be faster and have more energy,” said Deloatch. “I’m down to 229 pounds, from October to now. No salt, no sugar in my diet, I had my girlfriend — she’s a trainer — help me out with that. It was definitely hard, but my job was on the line.”
The Redblacks like him — if it works out and he makes it through mini-camp, then training camp next month, he gives them a big body (he’s 6-foot-4) with pass-catching ability. A high school math teacher (teaching Grade 9) back in Virginia, Deloatch got the go-ahead to give professional football a try.
“I’m not a blazing fast receiver, but I have decent speed and a big body so I can use the waggle to my advantage,” he said. “(The CFL), it’s definitely a bit different — the field is a bit wider and a little deeper — but it’s still football, you still have to catch the football. I feel like it’s an advantage for the offence, so I like it a lot.
“I just want to play football. People might think I’m lying, but, honest to God, this city’s already grown on me. A lot of people dream about the NFL. I would love to play in the NFL, but when I got off the plane, when I got to Ottawa, I felt like I was home. I love Ottawa, I love the Redblacks.”
WEATHER OR NOT: Coach Rick Campbell certainly doesn’t hear many complaints about the weather from the players, but after two beautiful sunny days, Wednesday’s forecast for the third and final day of mini camp, isn’t so nice — it’s supposed to rain through the day into Thursday afternoon.
“I actually wouldn’t mind a little rain (Wednesday) and see how guys handle the wet,” said Campbell. “I officially put my snow shovel away so I’d better be right about that one.”
VETERAN PRESENCE: While mini-camp is mainly to integrate rookies and newcomers to the team’s system, the Redblacks have plenty of experienced guys on defence in attendance.
“It’s a new defence, so as many opportunities as even the experienced players can get in terms of reps, it’s going to benefit everybody,” said Desjardins.
THE END AROUND: Desjardins said the plan right now is to start two Canadian receivers. One of them will be Brad Sinopoli. Free-agent signing Julian FeoliGudino might have the inside on the other job, but there will be a strong push from others like Austen Hartley and Austin Reuland. Expect the Redblacks to also select a receiver high in next month’s CFL Draft ... Defensive back Andrew Lue (Queen’s) is listed as a defensive lineman on the team’s website roster. He’d better bulk up, as he’s also listed at 210 pounds ... Trevor Harris is the elder in the quarterback group. “It’s crazy to think about,” he said. “I’ve always been the young guy. Now, everybody’s like, ‘Man, you’re 31?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah ... I’m not that old.’ It’s fun to learn from Ricky Ray, Mitchell Gale, Zach Collaros, guys I’ve played with — it’s been a blast. You get to use that knowledge and pass on things and shorten the learning curve.” ... Reacting to a question about linebacker coach Mark Nelson’s longer hair (he says he’s growing it until the end of the season), Campbell said: “We could make the whole coaching staff do it, that’d be an interesting look. We’ll see how Mark looks come November, it could be interesting.”