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You are here: Home / Archives for Ricky Foley

Den Talk: Foley brings the fan out of the blogger. Thoughts on Eric Tillman

September 14, 2010 By Brian Wawryshyn

Foley follies, the final chapter

Ricky Foley: Photo: BCLionsDen.caWow, what a whirlwind 24 hours in the Canadian Football League!

One of the things that is kind of neat about being a blogger, is you still get to be a fan. I make no bones about the fact I am a Lions fan, and never will. Today the fan in me took over for a good part of the afternoon as I learned of the signing of Ricky Foley by the Toronto Argonauts.

The blogger in me had reported last night, after an official press release by the club and reports from other media outlets, that Foley was indeed returning to the Lions. Later that night and after I had gone to bed, his agent, Paul Sheehy tweeted saying:

Hey Canada, not so fast on ex #CFL, #Jets & #Seahawks Ricky Foley-to-BC Lions talk. Still premature, anything can happen. More in the a.m.

As I drove to work this morning there seemed to be some feeling out there that Foley had changed his mind over night. Foley himself then came on the TEAM 1040 (43:01 in) and announced he was returning to the Lions. Done deal right? Not so fast. At around 2:00pm local time, Foley’s agent  tweeted that Foley had officially signed with Argos and followed that up with a post on his firms website.

So today I went through the range of emotions fans go through. The highs and the lows of being a fan, all in a matter of hours, and not a single down played. I made some comments on Twitter that looking back I wish I didn’t but hey, Ricky Foley just finished telling “me” that he was coming back, how dare he!

I’ve listened to the interviews, I’ve read the quotes and when you hear Ricky Foley in that interview this morning, he’s saying all the right things, but you can hear doubt in his voice. That Foley changed his mind within hours and reportedly several times in the last 24 hours, tells you how difficult this decision was for him. Playing on front of his friends and family was no doubt the deciding factor, and you certainly can’t fault Foley making the decision that he did. However, you can fault him, and to a greater extent his agent for how it all went down today. The Lions of course jumped the gun on the official announcement last night, starting the whole process in motion, but in fairness to them they did say “agreed to terms”.  To their credit some media members such as Jim Mullin of CKNW and Lowell Ullrich of The Province, held off reporting Foley was a Lion and knew the Argos were in play as evidenced by this post shared by Mullin.

So, Ricky, good luck to you in Toronto except when you play the Lions of course. Sorry about those things I said,  just as I’m sure you’re sorry for that radio interview this morning.

Tillman deserves a 2nd chance

The other CFL topic dominating the day of course was the signing of Eric Tillman as the next general manager of the Edmonton Eskimos. Tillman of course was accused of sexually assaulting his 16 year old babysitter and resigned as GM of the Saskatchewan Roughriders as a result of those accusations. The signing has caused a huge uproar in Edmonton, with season ticket holders threatening not to renew their tickets, and various abuse organizations speaking ut against the hire.

No one condones what Eric Tillman did but the fact that the family of the girl and the girl herself has publicly forgiven Tillman should hold some weight here. Tillman seems remorseful over the incident and by the comments of many others it was totally out of character coming from the Tillman they knew. Tillman will have to live with his actions, but he also deserves a 2nd chance.

The club has taken a risk with the public perception of the hire, but Tillman’s football resume makes him hard to pass up and the Eskimos are need of some organizational stability. The message has also been made clear to Tillman, whose contract apparently contains termination clauses. Eskimos president Rick LaLacheur has told Tillman, “There is a second chance, there will not be a third chance.“

Over time Tillman will have to convince the community that he is a an upstanding member of their community. In the meantime, he’ll try and rebuild the Eskimo Empire. It was a good football hire by the Edmonton Eskimos.

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Filed Under: Den Talk Tagged With: BC Lions, CFL, Paul Sheehy, Ricky Foley, Toronto Argonauts

UPDATE: Foley NOT back with Lions, signs with Argos.

September 13, 2010 By Brian Wawryshyn

UPDATE: Since last night Ricky Foley apparenly decided to sign with the Lions, then the Argos, then the Lions again and finally signed with the Argos this afternoon after coming on Vancouver radio station TEAM 1040 and “comfirming” to Lions fans (43:01 into the podcast) he was coming to BC.

Mr. Foley, thank you for blowing smoke up the asses of BC Lions fans.

Original post:

Ricky Foley: Photo: BCLionsDen.caThe BC Lions football club announced the signing of free agent Canadian defensive lineman Ricky Foley on Monday. As per club policy no terms of the deal were released,but it’s safe to say that Ricky Foley received a nice raise upon his return the to CFL.

Foley was the league’s top Canadian in 2009, racking up 12 sacks (leading the league) and 51 tackles. He left the club this offseason and signed with the Seattle Seahawks as well as the NY Jets before returning to the Lions, where he won a Grey Cup in 2006.

In a statement on BCLions.com, Lions head coach and general manager Wally Buono had this to say on the return of Foley:

“I am very pleased to welcome Ricky back to the club,” said Lions GM and head coach Wally Buono. “Ricky brings a very high level of play to the defence and I know our fans will be excited to have him back in Black and Orange.”

Foley’s non-import status will give the Lions more ratio options to address other areas on the club. With Foley knowing the Lions system, it’s quite likely he could see action Saturday versus Hamilton.

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Filed Under: Den Talk, News Tagged With: BC Lions, CFL, Ricky Foley, Signing

Ricky Foley Signs With The Seahawks

February 13, 2010 By Brian Wawryshyn

Ricky FoleyThe NFL has poached another from the roster of the BC Lions after it was reported today that defensive lineman Ricky had signed a contract with the Seattle Seahawks.

Foley the CFL’s top Canadian player in 2009, led the team and the league with 12 sacks last season. Taking advantage of the departure of Cameron Wake, Foley grabbed the open starting spot and ran with it in 2009 racking up 51 tackles as well. Foley, who was scheduled to become a CFL free agent on February 15, is a native of Courtice, Ontario led the CFL in sacks last season with 12, also recording 51 defensive tackles for the Lions.

Foley was a standout on York University’s football team and was selected fourth overall by the Lions in the first round of the 2006 CFL Draft.

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Filed Under: Den Talk, News Tagged With: BC Lions, Ricky Foley, Seattle Seahawks

Den Talk – Foley Gone, Braley, Argos And More

February 8, 2010 By Brian Wawryshyn

The last football game for the season was played on Sunday, and kudos to the Colts and Saints for putting on a great show in the Super Bowl. Canadian fans now count the days, as the next meaningful game for fans of professional football will be played North of the 49th when the CFL gets going in July 1st.

Bye Bye Foley

Of course there is free agency fast approaching, and one player the Lions won’t have worry about signing is Ricky Foley. In a recent Vancouver Sun article, Mike Beamish reports that Foley is on the verge of signing a deal in the NFL.

VANCOUVER — Ricky Foley flew in Monday from San Diego — and, boy, are his arms tired.

The joke may be lame, but apparently Foley’s chances of signing with a National Football League team are not.

Paul Sheehy, the representative for the B.C. Lions rush end, is confident that Foley will be offered an NFL contract by the end of this week.

“There are three situations which are ideal,” Sheehy says. “It comes down to meshing opportunity for playing time and an opportunity to make an impact weighed against the contract opportunity. It’s a matter of doing what we think is right and not just going for the maximum dollars.”

Foley is scheduled to work out with the Seattle Seahawks Tuesday following a session with the San Diego Chargers today.

The CFL’s most outstanding Canadian in 2009 was at the training facilities of the New York Jets, St. Louis Rams and Philadelphia Eagles last week.

“He’ll be in the NFL this year,” Sheehy says. “We’re closing in on a couple of things … and we should have it wrapped up by the end of the week.”

This is a big blow for the Lions, who for the second straight season lose their top pass rusher, and a Canadian starter. CFL free agency season is getting less and less exciting. By the time free agency opens most of top talent has signed an NFL deal. Recruiting and free agent camps are going to become more and more important as more players are taking a chance to try their luck down south.

Braley/Argos Deal All But Done

Several news sources are reporting that Davis Braley’s purchase of the Argos is all but done and I’m not really sure how I feel about this. I am a big David Braley supporter, and I am not sure the Lions would be around today if it wasn’t for him. I know there is no league bylaw against it, but I’m still not sure it’s “right’. That said, David Braley loves this league, and has put his money on the line several times to help keep it alive. With this purchase, it’s pretty likely the Lions will come up for sale sooner rather than later. Braley has indicated he’ll only sell the team to local owners who have a passion for the game and the CFL. I hope that proves to be the case when the time comes, and that while he owns both he keeps them separate. Are any other Lions fans a little nervous that Wally Buono hasn’t signed an extension? Just sayin…

Orange Helmet Awards

The BC Lions are once again pleased to present the Orange Helmet Awards Dinner. It will be the seventh annual event, and will feature Darren Flutie who will emcee the event and his brother Doug who will be the keynote speaker. The awards were the brainchild of the late Bob Ackles, who’s commitment to minor league football was strong. The event goes Friday, April 9th at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

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Filed Under: Den Talk, News Tagged With: Bob Ackles, Darren Flutie, Doug Flutie, Mike Beamish, Orange Helmet Awards, Ricky Foley

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