The News (New Glasgow)

Pending free-agent kicker Medlock weighing all his options after Bombers loss to Esks

- BY JUDY OWEN

Kicker Justin Medlock says retirement is one option he’ll consider now that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ season is over.

Another surprise as the players cleaned out their lockers Monday was quarterbac­k Matt Nichols revealing the injured ring finger on his throwing hand was actually broken.

Medlock, a pending free agent, made all three of his field-goal attempts in Sunday’s 39-32 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL West Division semifinal.

“I want to take a second to kind of think about what I want to do, whether I want to play, whether I want to play somewhere else, whether I want to play here,” Medlock, 34, said.

Moving on after seven CFL seasons and time in the NFL is one option for the Florida resident, who was a key free-agent signing by Winnipeg last year.

“Been thinking about doing some other things in life, maybe, so we’ll see,” Medlock said. “But I’m also considerin­g coming back, too. I love playing here.”

He added he wasn’t fully happy with his season, which included three game-winning field goals. He also had one outing where he missed all three tries and another when he was 2-of-4 and went wide on a 39-yard potential game-winner against Toronto.

Going into the season, Medlock was the most accurate kicker in CFL history. He finished with a league-high 226 points, but his 80.0 field-goal percentage (56-of-70) was last among eight qualifying kickers and his punting average of 43.7 yards was tied for eighth with Calgary’s Rob Maver.

However, Medlock’s net punting average of 35.2 yards was third after Ottawa’s Brett Maher (36.2) and Maver’s 35.6.

Medlock is one of an estimated 17 or more pending free agents that include well-known players such as receiver Weston Dressler, defensive lineman Jamaal Westerman, offensive linemen Stanley Bryant and Travis Bond and defensive stars Maurice Leggett and Chris Randle.

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