Geroy Simon wanted Riders
He suggests Sask. ‘treats its people right’
The Geroy Simon trade was born precisely 46 years after Brendan Taman.
“It was Dec. 12 ... my birthday ... 12/12/12,’’ Taman, the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ general manager, said after Simon was introduced to the local sports media on Monday. “I’ll never forget it.’’ On that day, Taman was forwarded a letter by Simon’s agent, Dan Vertlieb. The letter was written by B.C. Lions general manager Wally Buono, who authorized the CFL’s all-time receiving-yardage leader and his agent to contact other teams about possibly playing for them in 2013.
As it turned out, Simon and Vertlieb had a short, short, short list. Simon wanted to play for Saskatchewan, period. Thus the electronic dialogue between Vertlieb and Taman.
“One thing we wanted to do was add a veteran presence in the receiving corps to go with Weston Dressler,’’ Taman said. “I figured, ‘Ahhhh, let’s aim high.’ ’’
Simon’s salary, a reported $205,000 per annum, was deemed to be too high by the Lions, with whom he had spent 12 seasons while becoming a mortal lock for enshrinement in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
The Lions envisioned a diminished role, with an accompanying reduction in pay, for the 37-year-old slotback. Simon was not enamoured with that proposal.
“I’m not going to get into the specifics of Geroy’s conversations with B.C., but obviously it became clear that situation was untenable, and not for lack of trying for both sides,’’ Vertlieb, a partner in the Vancouverbased Core Sports Group, said Monday.
“That is a very warm relationship and will continue to be so. But it became obvious that the goals of the two sides were just a little bit too divergent, and that’s when we started to have to look at possible alternatives.’’
Remove the “s’’ from “alternatives.’’
“We didn’t talk to any other team but one,’’ Simon said. “I wanted to play with an organization that treats its people right and has an opportunity to win.’’
Simon was employed by such an organization for 12 years, enjoying nine 1,000- yard seasons and earning six CFL all-star nominations while with B.C. Moreover, he was named the league’s most outstanding player in 2006, when he became a Grey Cup champion for the first time. He earned another Cup ring in 2011.
Other rings — those of the telephone — came into play, beginning Dec. 12. Simon, Taman, Vertlieb and Buono were all in conversation with one another at various stages over a span of six weeks.
“B.C. had to go through the process of getting to a point where they understood and could come to grips with him probably not being back,’’ Vertlieb said. “It was a wonderful marriage for 12 years. It just doesn’t come to an end overnight. Geroy is beloved in that community and will continue to be.
“He and Wally have a very special relationship. I think ultimately Wally didn’t want this day to come if he’d had his way, and I think he was pretty clear about that. Because of the delicacy of that situation, it just required a lot of patience, a lot of discretion, a lot of communication. It just took time. It sort of became public two days before it happened that he was being shopped, but in reality it was a much longer process than that.
“I can’t say enough about the work that Brendan Taman put in. It’s important that people know how much work that he really put in to ensure that this would happen.’’
Taman reciprocated by thanking Vertlieb during Monday’s media gathering. Simon also made a point of commending his agent for his integral role in the consummation of the deal.
Vertlieb was a crucial component of the negotiations due to his rapport with both general managers. Given the complexities and delicacies of the situation, considerable nuance was required.
The first step involved the brokering of a deal with Saskatchewan. How interested were the Roughriders? How would Simon fit into the offence? How would his renegotiated salary fit into the Roughriders’ financial picture?
Those questions were answered to the satisfaction of Simon, Taman and Vertlieb by early January. Then came the next stage — the negotiation of a trade between the Roughriders and Lions.
Taman didn’t want to undercut the Lions, given his resolve to acquire Simon. Yet, Taman recognized that the lack of a trading partner could have forced the Lions to release Simon and divest themselves of his salary, without receiving anything in return.
Eventually, Taman and Buono agreed to a deal, calling for Saskatchewan to relinquish receiver Justin Harper (who appeared in only three games for the 2012 Roughriders) and a third-round selection in the 2014 CFL draft.
“At first, I didn’t know how realistic it would be,’’ Taman reflected in the Roughriders’ locker-room. “But as I look around today, he is here.’’
And there were smiles all around.