LEAVING ON A HIGH NOTE
Ex-Rider Chick always a class act
One of these days, someone’s going to say,
‘Hey, you’ve had enough.’ I might not agree with him or whatever, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to handle things.
John Chick wrapped up quarterbacks and his CFL career in comparable fashion.
There wasn’t a lot of fanfare, nor was there over-the-top self-congratulation, when Chick felled an opposing passer or decided to walk away from the game.
In this era of sack dances,
Chick generally opted to pump a fist.
It’s left to others to pump his tires.
Instead of holding a press conference and revelling in well-deserved tributes to a wonderful career, the 35-yearold Chick opted to announce his retirement via a low-key media release.
The communique was issued on Good Friday by the Edmonton Eskimos, to whom Chick was traded by the Hamilton TigerCats last August.
Chick had joined the TigerCats early in 2016, shortly after he and slotback Weston Dressler were unceremoniously dumped by Chris Jones in the early days of his regime as the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ head coach, general manager and vice-president of football operations.
In both cases, the Roughriders saw fit to sever ties with a player who was noted more for his actions than his words — an American-born star who had made Regina his year-round home.
Chick was so devastated by the salary-related sacking that, for one of the very few times in his career, he was outspoken. He told the Regina Leader-Post’s Murray McCormick in August of 2016 that the release “wasn’t cordially done.”
“There are definitely cordial ways to do things,” Chick said. “Whether I’m 33 or 40, one of these days, someone’s going to say, ‘Hey, you’ve had enough.’ I might not agree with him or whatever, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to handle things.
“It’s not just the one case.
There were a lot of things.”
As it turned out, nobody tapped Chick on the shoulder and said he was done. The decision was entirely his, and now it’s on to the next chapter.
Throughout his career, every play, regardless of whether it was during a pre-season game or the Grey Cup, was a matter of pride for Chick.
A relentless motor was among his many on-field attributes. Anyone who lined up opposite him was destined to experience a long, exhausting day.
And the bigger the game, the better Chick played.
Chick registered two sacks in each of the Roughriders’ last two Grey Cup victories, those of 2007 and 2013.
His showing in 2007 was a breakout performance. By 2013, he was an established star, someone who returned from the NFL that year and ultimately shared in a celebration of a home-field championship-game victory.
In 2013, Chick could have signed elsewhere for more money, but he opted to return to Saskatchewan and once again immerse himself in the community.
A Type 1 diabetic, Chick is a glowing example to everyone who has been affected by the condition. He played every game while wearing an insulin pump, and excelled at the highest level.
While doing so, he never forgot about the home team — his wife, Catherine, and eight children.
And nobody who follows the Green and White, even with a casual level of interest, will ever forget Chick.
In addition to contributing so integrally to half of the Roughriders’ Grey Cup victories, he was named the CFL’s most outstanding defensive player in 2009.
Few players in Roughriders history have been as decorated. As a person, he also belongs in the highest echelon.
What more could anyone want from a player?
He loved Regina so much he decided to live here. He made the Roughriders a better team, and the city a better place.
Not once did he ever big-league someone or play the big shot. There was never the slightest hint of entitlement, despite his accomplishments in the CFL and NFL.
In other words, Chick was the perfect fit for a community that embraces Canadian professional football and its humblest of heroes.
No, he didn’t retire as a Roughrider, but it was with Saskatchewan that he enjoyed his greatest successes as a CFLer.
To be continued in 2021, when Chick becomes eligible for what will be automatic enshrinement in the Roughriders’ Plaza of Honour.