DISAPPOINTED DOG
Huskies’ Klassen ‘shocked’ by U Sports decision to uphold its age-cap restriction despite pandemic
Colton Klassen thought he had a couple of football options ahead of him.
But this week the University of Saskatchewan Huskies’ dynamic slotback watched in dismay as a window closed — slammed shut, really, on his football-carrying fingers.
Thinking he still had another year of U Sports eligibility, Klassen discovered that U Sports won’t be budging on its age-cap restriction despite the COVID -19 pandemic. That means Klassen will be ineligible to play the 2021 season because he’ll be 25 and aged out.
The U Sports ruling hit him like a Mac-truck linebacker.
“I’m kind of shocked by this decision, to be honest,” said Klassen, who led the Dogs with 37 receptions and 456 receiving yards in 2019.
“I feel like it’s a very rash and non-thoughtful decision. One of the things that kind of made me upset is seeing a statement released by one of the U Sports executives saying it only affects a small portion of the players. I don’t think that’s a fair statement. There are over 300 players. That’s a lot of people, a lot of guys affected. I just hope there is some backlash from players around Canada, no matter what team.”
To add insult to injury, Klassen discovered his fate on social media after a tweet by TSN’S Farhan Lalji.
Klassen, who was taken by the Montreal Alouettes in this year’s CFL Draft, also faces an uncertain CFL future. He felt the Huskies would be a good fallback plan for the 2021 season.
There are no age restrictions in any other U Sports.
You can be 30 years old and playing hockey or basketball or volleyball, for example.
Klassen spent time in the Canadian Junior Football League’s Prairie Football Conference with the Regina Thunder before moving on to the Huskies.
“Football is not like hockey or basketball or volleyball, there’s no rec-league tackle football,” pointed out Klassen. “A decision was made and it sucks. I get that there’s a lot more going on than just sports, but I feel like it’s not fair because we’ve had zero control over this. I know a lot of guys get hurt in their final year but, for them, it’s still the idea of being part of a team and being there. Now, with this ruling, none of us are going to experience that fifthyear-farewell kind of tour thing.”
The U Sports ruling also directly impacts Huskies’ Jace Peters, Yol Piok, Nick Summach and Joe Trumpy.
“I just feel sick for these guys to have it ripped from them,” said Huskies head coach Scott Flory. “Through no fault of their own, the season was cancelled and, right or wrong, that doesn’t matter. The right thing to do is to give them the opportunity to finish that journey. To end it for them, to me, just isn’t right and it’s not fair.
“I look at the human side of it for these guys and giving them the opportunity to finish their degree, to finish their university studies while being a student-athlete, it’s just something special and it’s not something everybody gets to do. I hope there is something that can be done.”
Klassen’s 2019 season ended prematurely due to injury, so he was really hoping to get another shot at a Vanier Cup.
“You know what sucks is, if that ruling stays the way it is, that will be something I always will remember, that I went out that way,” said Klassen. “It’s not fair. I think that’s the part that stings the most, having zero control over that. We made such good momentum going forward the last two years (Canada West champions in 2018 and Canada West finalist in 2019) and this just sucks. You look back at all the good times, but my last memory is a negative that’s always going to overshadow the positives.”
Klassen says he’s fully recovered from his injuries and willing to wait for a crack at the CFL.
“Right now, I’m patiently waiting because I’ve done this my whole life,” he said. “I can’t really imagine life without it. I’ve got time but, who knows, a year or two down the road and if stuff like this (COVID -19 pandemic) is still going on, decisions will have to be made.”
You know what sucks is, if that ruling stays the way it is, that will be something I always will remember, that I went out that way . ... My last memory is a negative that’s always going to overshadow the positives.