Rob Vanstone: Paws fur thought — Colin Kelly, “man’s best friend,” and their football journey
Last week, while foraging for quotes in the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ locker room, I approached Evan Johnson.
The objective was to ask the always-affable guard about Father’s Day in advance of a home opener that had an accompanying Dad’s Night Out theme.
Before the interview could commence, fellow offensive lineman Colin Kelly — seated to the right of Johnson — cheerily chimed in by asserting: “I’m a dad … a dog dad.”
Being that I am the most annoying dog-owner in the long and distinguished history of snouts (mine included), I made a point of engaging Kelly in an informal canine conversation as soon as I finished chatting with Evan.
As a post-script, I asked Kelly about his Landseer Newfoundland growler — “Meet Sophie” is now a high-priority bucket-list item — when the veteran CFL tackle met with reporters following Tuesday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium.
It was Kelly’s first media session since he signed with the Roughriders on June 4, not long after being named to the All-XFL team in acknowledgment of his excellence with the Seattle Sea Dragons.
“Sophie was my co-pilot on the drive (to Saskatchewan),” Kelly said. “We were in Texas, so it was only a 27-hour drive. Last year, her and I went all the way from Tampa to Edmonton, so that was 47 hours.”
(Or 329 in dog hours.)
“She has been to every team and every locker room, pretty much,” Kelly continued. “As they say, a man’s best friend.”
The bond dates back to 2014, when Kelly debuted in the CFL as a member of the Ottawa REDBLACKS. He signed with Ottawa on June 27, 2014 — six days after Sophie was born.
(Sophie turned nine on Wednesday — a grand occasion that was celebrated on Kelly’s Instagram page.)
Kelly was with the REDBLACKS for two seasons before spending time in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers (2016), Chicago Bears (2016) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2017).
Then it was back to the CFL and to Edmonton, where Kelly remained until the Elks traded him — and, by extension, Sophie — to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on June 26, 2022.
(See? Dogs and Cats do get along!)
After one season with Hamilton, Kelly signed with Seattle in February.
“It’s a different style of football (in the XFL),” noted Kelly, a 33-year-old Oregon State Beavers grad who hails from Longview, Wash. “With American football, you’ve got different nuances, such as no yard off the ball.
“The CFL is pretty historic, so I knew I might still have an opportunity up here. I guess I’m getting up there in the football-world age and I just wanted to see if I still had it.”
He has it, indeed, on and off the field.
Most XFL players are contractually obligated to that fledgling circuit through Dec. 31. However, Kelly was able to extricate himself from his deal shortly after the Sea Dragons’ season.
“I’m my own agent,” he noted, “so I just kind of worked that deal out.”
Next stop for Kelly (and Sophie): Regina.
Having served a two-game suspension, he is now eligible to suit up for Saskatchewan on Saturday against the host Calgary Stampeders.
“Obviously, it’s fun playing on game days, but there are also the little things outside the football realm,” Kelly said, noting his appreciation of the camaraderie between teammates.
“It’s always nice to work with somebody that you like. And then you go out on the field and you put it all together and you win because, I mean, who doesn’t like to win?”
PLAYER MOVES
The Roughriders announced the signings of two nationals — linebacker Brian Harelimana and defensive back Kosi Onyeka — on Wednesday.
Onyeka is back in the fold after attending Coors Light Riders Training Camp this past spring. Last season, he played in eight games with the Green and White.
Harelimana has 27 games of CFL experience with the Montreal Alouettes, who selected him in the fourth round (33rd overall) of the 2020 draft.
“You always have to work on improving your roster,” Head Coach Craig Dickenson said. “Canadian depth is always an issue and always something each team has challenges trying to address.
“We want to make sure we have good Canadians. I feel like we have good Canadians on the team.”
INJURY UPDATE
The following players did not practise on Wednesday: Defensive linemen Anthony Lanier II (foot), Nicholas Dheilly (head) and Demarcus Christmas (knee), defensive backs Jayden Dalke (back), Rolan Milligan Jr. (back) and Rodney Clemons (ankle), running back Frankie Hickson (shoulder), fullback Albert Awachie (hamstring) and receiver Juwan Brescacin (shoulder).
Punter Kaare Vedvik (hip) and defensive lineman Lake Korte-Moore (hamstring) were limited participants.
With regard to availability for Saturday’s game, Dickenson said he was optimistic about “Dalke, Milligan, Lanier, Korte-Moore, Awachie … a lot of them.”
Cornerback Nic Marshall and linebacker Derrick Moncrief, both of whom have missed some playing time with shoulder injuries, were full participants for the second day in a row.
