Albright’s ‘season-ending’ fears put to rest
Redblacks guard ready to start again after knee injury
It’s not Matt Albright’s first CFL start Friday against the Ticats, but being out there on a football field at right guard is something he wasn’t sure was going to happen in 2017.
After injuring his knee in a pre-season win over Hamilton, Albright will get his first start of the season, replacing Nolan MacMillan, who is on the one-game injured list.
“I’d never had any knee problems,” Albright said. “So I didn’t know what it felt like to tear something. I really had no idea what was going on. When they told me it was my patella, they said (I’d be out for a) minimum 12 weeks or something like that.
“I thought, ‘Man, it’s going to be 12 weeks by the time I’m able to come back, then I’m going to have to shake the rust off and get back to it.’ Yeah, I thought it was going to be season ending.”
Albright worked hard to get better faster.
“That was kind of my attitude: rather than feel sorry for myself, I wanted to attack it head on, come in for treatment every day and let the team docs and therapists do what they do,” he said. “After the first couple of weeks, I was walking around and able to do a couple of things they didn’t think I’d be able to.”
He’s hoping to make a contribution in whatever way the team needs.
“It definitely sucked not being able to help,” he said. “The first day back, I was a little nervous. But I met with the docs and they told me, ‘You’re 100 per cent, it’s a mental block you have to get over.’ I’m just here to do whatever they tell me and do, contribute in any way I can.
“I’m trying to be a team guy. You don’t want to see anybody else get hurt, but when it’s your turn, you have to step up.”