Missing ring ceremony stings for departing O-line veteran
Sean Jamieson will forever be grateful he dressed for the Montreal Alouettes’ Grey Cup victory last November and gets his name on the trophy after missing the entire regular season while recovering from a knee injury.
But Jamieson, who was released by the team in late January — just before a Feb. 1 bonus payment was due — is leaving the organization with some disappointment, knowing he wasn’t invited to Friday night’s ceremony where players received their championship rings at a downtown Montreal hotel.
“It stings a little and it’s not a great feeling,” Jamieson said this week by phone from his home near London, Ont. “The way pro sports works, out of sight, out of mind. I’m gone from the organization. I can see why I’d be forgotten. An invitation at least would have been nice. It’s definitely something I would have liked to been at and celebrate one last time with that group of guys that was so special.”
Instead, Jamieson was told his ring will be mailed to him. He said an email invitation might have gone into his spam folder and subsequently been deleted, but he also was removed from the team’s internal messaging app almost immediately after his release.
“I’m certainly disappointed,” the 29-year-old offensive lineman said. “As a guy who was there seven years, I obviously would have liked to have been there. It definitely feels like a time where everyone from that team should have a chance. They obviously have my number and could have reached out with a little more effort to get a response from me.”
Alouettes president Mark Weightman attempted to explain the omission while offering no apologies.
“I believe only players currently with the team were invited ... with a few exceptions made for officially retired players, as I understand it,” he said. “But I’m not 100 per cent certain where we drew the line.”
While he hasn’t filed retirement papers, Jamieson has told his agent he’s moving on from his career. He held out hope another team might sign him following his release and was training for the coming season.
But with a son due in early June, Jamieson plans to concentrate on his career as a sales rep for an Ottawa-based tech company.
Jamieson also completed his master’s degree in kinesiology last March and is set to become an assistant offensive line coach with the Western University Mustangs, his alma mater.
A third-round (20th overall) draft choice of the Alouettes in 2016, the 6-foot-7, 317-pound Jamieson made his pro debut the following season. Though he missed 2023 while recovering from an ACL injury suffered the year before, he dressed as a backup for the East Division semifinal and championship victory against Winnipeg. Jamieson said he’s retiring in peace and is thankful he spent his entire career with one organization.
“It definitely was tough being sidelined for the entire regular season,” the Winnipeg native said. “I tried to remain in it mentally. I’m grateful the coaches had faith in me to dress me for the playoffs and Grey Cup and be ready. It was the highest high, winning a championship, and going out with that at the end of your career definitely is a good feeling. Obviously, I would have loved it if I never got injured and played every game. With the situation I was in, I’m extremely happy for the outcome and how everything went.”
What remains to be determined, Jamieson admitted, is how he’ll feel Sunday afternoon when the Alouettes begin training camp at the Claude Beaulieu multi-sport Centre in St. Jérôme. But he won’t miss the physical pounding his body endured over the years.
“Mentally, we’ll have to see,” Jamieson said. “I’ve heard from guys who retire they get a little grouchy at training camp time. Hopefully, I’m not one of those guys.
“I’ll miss the guys in the room. It’s unique being a pro athlete. That’s your job, to play a children’s game and do something you love — show up for work and run around.”