O’Shea brushes off ‘Canadian’ comment
Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea isn’t losing any sleep after seemingly being the target of some controversial comments from Calgary Stampeders counterpart Dave Dickenson.
In Sunday’s Canadian Football League West final, television cameras caught an emotional Dickens hollering at the officials about some calls, questioning why they were taking place in front of O’Shea and then saying “(expletive) Canadian.”
Speaking Monday as the Bombers cleaned out their lockers following the 22-14 loss in Calgary, O’Shea made light of the incident.
“Well, I’m a proud (expletive) Canadian,” the North
Bay native quipped. “Him and I have already spoken.
“Things get (said) in the heat of the battle. It really is a heat-ofthe-moment type of thing and I’ve got a good relationship with Dave.”
Asked what was said in their conversation, O’Shea said, “That’s between him and I. I’ve got a lot of respect for Dave.”
O’Shea doesn’t sound as if he’ll be holding any grudges.
“I congratulate him and the Stamps,” he said.
“They won the game. They played extremely well and they beat us and they’re a good football team and I think we’re a good football team so, you know, they’re moving on and we’re not.
“But in terms of that, you know, I’m sure things get said.”
Dickenson, who hails from Great Falls, Mont., apologized for the comment and said it had nothing to do with Canadians in general.
“Lesson learned, I apologize to anyone,” Dickenson said Monday in Calgary.
“I texted Mike afterward, I texted him. It had nothing to do with him personally, by the way. I just felt the calls were coming out on their sideline as some calls come out on my sideline.”