Lions nab Matechuk to solve long-snapping snafus
VANCOUVER — The newest B.C. Lion comes with plenty of baggage, but that’s not the reason Jordan Matechuk decided to make the 20-hour drive from Regina rather than pay the luggage surcharge and book a flight to his fourth Canadian Football League stop.
Two years ago, the linebacker/long snapper from Yorkton, Sask., was stopped and arrested by American officials at the U.S. border.
In his possession were copious amounts of anabolic steroids, in pill and liquid form, syringes, replacement needles, OxyContin and 1.25 grams of marijuana.
At the time, Matechuk, who joined the Ticats in 2008, was attempting to enter the United States while en route to Hamilton’s training camp from Alberta. He was later convicted and jailed, serving 60 days of a 90-day prison sentence.
As part of his rehabilitation, Matechuk contacted every CFL general manager, explaining that he was off his meds (Matechuk is bipolar and suffers from depression) at the time and expressing regret for the shame he had brought upon the league.
One of those GMs is Wally Buono, the man who plucked Matechuk off the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ practice roster and officially made him a Lion on Tuesday.
“My reaction to these things always is, if someone sees the error of his ways, and he apologizes for it, then you give him a second chance,” Buono explained.
“We all make mistakes. He did something. He got caught. Hopefully, he’s learned from it. An apology is the beginning of learning. He was aware enough to realize his action affects all of us.”
Past legal entanglements notwithstanding, Matechuk is being recruited because of a specific skill set — his long snapping ability — and not because of a redemptive social initiative on the Lions’ part.
He’s here to bring calm among the chaos. As examples: An errant snap by Tim Cronk in the June 28 regular-season opener against Calgary sailed over punter Hugh O’Neill’s head. Last Friday, in B.C.’s home opener against the Toronto Argonauts, O’Neill had a punt blocked in the fourth quarter after he had to reach for a wonky Cronk snap that was outside his wheelhouse.
“It’s not that I’m unhappy,” Buono explained. “It’s just that I don’t see any improvement. You saw the cause and effect.”