There will be no fairy-tale ending
Neck injury bound to spell end of line for Argos QB Ray
TORONTO — Instead of riding off into the sunset with his fourth Grey Cup championship, the image of Ricky Ray riding off the field on a cart following a serious neck injury will be part of his career narrative, a story that has ended so cruelly and so unexpectedly.
Henry Burris did it when he led Ottawa to its Grey Cup in 2016. John Elway, Peyton Manning ... the list of elite quarterbacks how decide to call it a day on their terms and their teams only is slim.
Ray had that opportunity to join that exclusive club, but he decided to come back for one more year, in part because the allure of one final payday was too intoxicating to pass up.
The could have, should have, didn’t will begin to be debated, his legacy dissected and ultimately his decision to play one more year second-guessed in the wake of a horrible injury that felled Ray last Saturday night at BMO Field in Toronto’s home opener.
The mood went from electric to sombre, with many of his peers hoping for the best because Ray is that rare guy who has always conducted himself with humility, professionalism and grace.
There will be no fairy-tale ending, a closure that seemed to be his destiny last season when Ray, under first-year Argos head coach Marc Trestman, made the right plays in the game’s biggest moments en route to Toronto’s improbable championship.
Two Grey Cup wins for two franchises, the leading passer for two clubs ... the list of achievements are long, his place in CFL lore firmly secured.
But what if Ray had departed following that snowy night in Ottawa? His story would have been much more uplifting than the sadness that has now descended on Ray and the CFL as a whole.
Players, people, of Ray’s ilk don’t come along very often and when they do, they quickly stick out for all the right reasons.
He’s an average guy who rides transit to home games, a family man, one of the most respected and loved teammates the Argos will ever see.
Ray is a throwback from an era when there was no such thing as agenda or ego.
Doug Flutie has the greatest burst of any quarterback the Argos have ever seen or will likely see when he orchestrated back-to-back Grey Cups before the NFL’s Buffalo Bills came calling.
Damon Allen had his moment, Matt Dunigan, Condredge Holloway and you can flip the era and go way back for those inclined.
But there was something about Ray that was both unique and endearing, the way he presented himself and conducted himself to everyone unlike many selfish, arrogant and condescending quarterbacks who donned the Double Blue.
When the Argos would announce earlier this week that Ray had been released from hospital and that he would miss “significant,” time you knew he was done.
Football takes no prisoners. But this one stings and it will linger because it’s Ricky Ray.
It’s still befuddling why Ray was even in the game when the Argos were getting blown out by the visiting Stamps in a Grey Cup rematch that will now be remembered as Ray’s farewell to football.
Late in the third quarter, Ray was sandwiched by a pair of Calgary linemen.
After receiving medical treatment, he was carted off BMO Field as the game was delayed for nearly 20 minutes.
Ray is 38 years old, a married man with two young girls, a loving father and husband who can’t risk taking any more hits to the neck/head area.
Time was ticking on Ray: his arm strength, which was never his biggest asset, was weakening, while his accuracy, which was his hallmark, was not as proficient.
The Argos were planning to anoint James Franklin as their franchise quarterback, but were then thrown a curve when Ray decided to come back for one more season.