Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Stamps manage to stay loose with Grey Cup ‘elephant’ in room

- TODD SAELHOF tsaelhof @postmedia.com

The Grey Cup loomed large in the middle of a room where the Calgary Stampeders gathered Thursday to talk with the media.

Some Stampeders took time for a photo op with the age-old trophy.

Others simply kept it in their sights.

“It’s taboo to touch it,” declared Stamps star defender Micah Johnson.

Bo Levi Mitchell made sure to heed that advice as he got up close and personal with the Grey Cup. The Stamps QB basically danced around it as he glanced at its intricacie­s.

“I don’t have to look at it,” teammate Junior Turner said with a grin. “My name’s already on it.”

For the most part, the Stamps stayed loose with the shiny el- ephant in the room.

In fact, their focus seemed more on a Stanley Cup of sorts, as bubble hockey games broke out in the far corner of the room featuring pairs of Stampeders pitted against one another.

The tournament there went unfinished, but some of the American-born players stopped short of crying foul on a few of their Canadian teammates.

“I’m not going to point any fingers north or south, I’m just gonna say I feel like we got sabotaged. Somebody went under the table and messed with our goalie and paid him off, and he decided to lay down on the job,’” said Stamps American receiver Bakari Grant with a smile.

“You know what happens then … they scored goals.”

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