Redblacks veteran quarterback to announce retirement
Veteran CFL quarterback Henry Burris will announce his retirement Tuesday, ending his career on top after leading the Ottawa Redblacks to a Grey Cup title last season.
The Redblacks have called a news conference for today and a source confirmed that Burris would be announcing he’s decided to call it quits.
The 41-year-old guided the Redblacks to a dramatic 39-33 overtime win over the favoured Calgary Stampeders in the CFL championship game — despite suffering a knee injury in the warm-up — throwing for 461 yards and three TDs while rushing for two more en route to being named the game’s MVP.
Burris will finish his CFL career with three Grey Cups (1998 and 2008 with Calgary were the others) and two outstanding player awards (2010, 2015). He’s third in all-time passing yards (63,227) and TDs (374).
He also spent time in the NFL with Chicago and Green Bay (2001-2002) and is the seventh-leading passer in professional football history with 64,023 yards.
Despite Burris’s Grey Cup heroics, the Redblacks had planned to enter 2017 with Trevor Harris as their starter, a move that reportedly contributed to Burris’s decision to retire.
Burris’s departure will leave Toronto’s Ricky Ray as the CFL’s leading active alltime passer with 54,883 yards. But Ray, 37, is also pondering his future this off-season.