McCullough still weighing his options
REGINA — Mike McCullough’s decision on his future will be made in the future.
The Saskat chewan Roughriders’ veteran linebacker said Tuesday that he still has more to think about before deciding whether the 2013 season — his 11th in the CFL — will be his last.
“I talked with Brendan (Taman, the Roughriders’ general manager) and he told me to take my time and not rush into anything either way,” said McCullough, a 33-year-old product of Kingston, Ont., who now lives year-round in Regina. “He said they want me back and it’s basically up to me, so it’s a nice feeling to have.
“Brendan was up front with me and we had a really good conversation. I also talked to (assistant GM) Jeremy O’Day. I feel good about where we’re at. I’m just trying to figure out what’s best for my family right now.”
McCullough missed the first half of the 2013 regular season with a torn bicep. He returned for the Roughriders’ 10th game and wound up starting seven games at middle linebacker after Rey Williams suffered a seasonending knee injury.
McCullough finished the regular season with 24 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles. He then helped Saskatchewan win the Grey Cup — his second CFL title with the team. The Roughriders also won a league championship in 2007.
After the season ended, some wondered whether McCullough would return to the Roughriders in 2014 or retire. He has yet to make up his mind and, in fact, remains unsure about what has to happen either way to help him decide.
“I’m waiting for that epiphany,” he said with a chuckle. “I could come back, but will I be as good as I was? I’m also getting older and it’s nice to go out with a championship. There are pros and cons to both.
“People say, ‘Don’t leave too early,’ but when you’re an athlete, you never want to leave the locker-room. I’ll be 45 years old and I’ll still want to be in that lockerroom. It’s something that never leaves you. But you have to take that out of the mix and make sure you’re making the right decision for your body and for your future.”
He admitted that the Roughriders also are part of his thought process.
He doesn’t want to come back if he’s going to be what he called “a decrepit mess,” but he would like to come back if he can contribute to the team’s efforts.
McCullough doesn’t have a timetable for his decision and the Roughriders aren’t pressuring him to make a choice. Because he’s not under the gun, he hasn’t found himself wavering — yet.
“I’ve just been enjoying this past year, all the Grey Cup tours and the success we had,” McCullough said. “I’ve been trying to squeeze that as much as possible and worry about the future later ...
“(When the Grey Cup tours are done), that’s probably when I’ll do some real hard thinking. I still have five, six months until the season starts. I’m keeping in pretty good shape, so that’s not a real factor. It’s just a matter of what my wife and I sit down and decide, finally.
“We’ve been batting it around on a weekly basis, thinking about what we’re going to do next and see where our lives are headed. It’s kind of stressful, but I guess it’s a good stress to have knowing that people want you.”
That said, it’s a tough decision for anyone to have to make — and McCullough, who’s known for his sense of humour, jokingly suggested it’s almost too much for him.
“I would rather have someone tell me what to do so I could easily do it,” he said with a laugh. “Then I can blame them if it doesn’t go right.”
EXTRAS: The Roughriders announced Tuesday they had re-signed non-import receiver Alex Anthony and non-import offensive lineman Matt Vonk. Anthony — a fifth-round pick in the 2013 draft out of Wilfrid Laurier — spent most of the season on Saskatchewan’s practice roster, but he did play in one regular-season game and caught two passes for 13 yards. Vonk, who also was a fifth-round pick in 2013, attended training camp with the Roughriders and remained on their practice roster through July before returning to Waterloo for his final season of CIS eligibility ... Former Roughriders special-teams co-ordinator Craig Dickenson was hired in the same capacity by Edmonton Eskimos head coach Chris Jones on Tuesday. Dickenson left the Roughriders during the 2013 off-season and spent the ’13 campaign on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ coaching staff.