FORMER REDBLACKS PLAYER ON BETTER PATH FOLLOWING FOOTBALL
During his year (2014) with the Ottawa Redblacks and the following season in Calgary, Jasper Simmons admits he slid off the morality rails.
Five years later, the former CFL linebacker — now a minister in the church his father founded — says he's a changed man.
Simmons, the Redblacks' nominee as both their Most Outstanding Defensive Player and Most Outstanding Player in their inaugural season, is a man of faith, a man who says he's fully committed to his kids and to his second wife Sasha.
This story starts in 2014. Simmons, who had played sparingly for the Toronto Argos for two seasons, was signed by the Redblacks. While the team finished with a 2-16 record in its first season in the CFL, Simmons was a big contributor on defence with 80 tackles and two interceptions. Off the field, Simmons did some nightclubbing and drinking. Nothing wrong with that, but, in retrospect, he says it wasn't who he was. On top of that, Simmons says he messed around on his wife Ryan. Again, it wasn't, he insists, who he was.
In the off-season, Simmons and receiver Dan Buckner were traded to the Calgary Stampeders for receiver Maurice Price. After moving out of Ottawa, Simmons continued on the same path, something he's not proud of.
“I got out of my character,” said Simmons, who is now 31. “A lot of things I did, I wasn't being the man I should have been. I was going to the club and drinking, that was out of character for me, that wasn't me. I got into the lines of infidelity, I committed adultery. It started in Ottawa, but got worse in Calgary. My (first) wife was in Pensacola (Florida) and I was in Canada — it pulled us apart. I apologized to my daughter's mother. I was sorry. I wish she could have forgiven me, but she couldn't. I can't blame her for divorcing me. I accept my wrongs. The only thing I can do is move on and show my daughters I'm a new man, I'm not the man I was back then. I learned a lesson about myself, it's allowed me to grow into who I am today.”
Divorced three years ago, Simmons is in a good place with Sasha and their two-year-old daughter Sarai. His daughter Journi, who was born when he was in Ottawa, is now six. He also has a 17-year-old stepson, Jayden.
Paramount in his inner peace is his belief in God. His father Terry founded Cornerstone Abundant Life Church nearly 20 years ago in Pensacola, FL. Simmons was ordained as an elder in the church earlier this month.
There was another incident during his time in Canada that Simmons wishes he had handled better. His agent, Sammy Gahagan, blasted the Stampeders in a series of tweets for not giving Simmons enough playing time, calling the team the “worst organization in the CFL.”
In an interview with the Calgary Sun's Scott Mitchell, the agent followed up with: “This isn't a personal attack. I'm trying to get my client on the field. Jasper Simmons should be playing and starting in the CFL. Hands down, that's all there is to it.”
The Stampeders cut Simmons soon after the agent unloaded, less than halfway into the 2015 season. He was signed by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but was again released — in September. That was the end of Simmons' CFL days.
“I feel like I'm a blessed man,” he said. “There are times I think about `what If.' It's something I have to live with.
“We all have things we wish we could change. I wasted money; I wish I could have come away from football with more money that I did. The years I was able to play (in the CFL), I enjoyed it, I cherish the memories. But I did walk away with my head held high.
“I'm more proud of myself now than when I was playing. I'm content where I'm at. I can invest the time in (my family) that I couldn't have done if I was still playing football.”
The only thing I can do is move on and show my daughters I'm a new man, I'm not the man I was back then.