Hopkins feeling the love in Ottawa
Lineman re-ups with Redblacks With a smile that can light up a room, Moton Hopkins for the past three seasons has been a terrific ambassador for the Ottawa Redblacks.
A team-first guy, he’s also the sort of presence you need in a locker-room. For what he does in the community, he has become a fan favourite. And he’s also a pretty good football player.
So it just made sense that the marriage between the Redblacks and the 30-yearold defensive tackle, who became a free agent on Feb. 14, should continue. On Thursday, Hopkins agreed to a one-year contract to remain in Ottawa.
“It was relief to get a deal done,” Hopkins said. “You don’t know what’s going to happen, where you’re going to be, which city, which team. Our job is already unstable enough, even before you go into free agency, not knowing what’s out there. There was definitely some stress. I’ve seen guys go into free agency and get forgotten about and they don’t end up being anywhere. That’s in the back of your head, for sure.”
“He’s a good football player, he’s a quality person, he’s a great leader and he embodies everything we want in a Redblack,” GM Marcel Desjardins said.
The Redblacks made an offer to Hopkins shortly after winning the Grey Cup in November. That sat for a while and it looked like they might move ahead without the veteran, who in the end may have taken fewer dollars to remain in Ottawa.
“There was a point where the team was saying it wasn’t sure which direction it wanted to go,” Hopkins said. “So I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, whether there would still be an option to come back. I’m happy it ended up working out.”
Along the way, the fan base let its feelings be known with plenty of support on social media.
“For me, that was huge,” said Hopkins, who is spending his first winter in Ottawa. “There’s nothing like being wanted, especially by the fan base and the community. That helped me get through the process, having people say, ‘Hey Moton, we want you back, we appreciate you,’ then tweeting the team and telling them to bring me back.”
What he does in the community is important to Hopkins.
“I’ve always taken the stance that if I can talk to somebody, smile, take a photo with them, make their day better, then I should do it,” he said. “I like talking to kids, help them understand that they should stay active.”
Hopkins played in 11 regular-season games in 2016. In 35 games over three seasons, he has 50 tackles, eight sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. Before landing in Ottawa, Hopkins, a six-year CFL veteran, also played in Winnipeg and Montreal. He also finished his MBA online last month with an eye toward the future.