“My life isn’t just football”: Rolan Milligan Jr. makes a difference for at-risk youth

There really isn’t an off-season for Rolan Milligan Jr.

Although football is on hold until the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ training camp begins in May, the 29-year-old defensive back is keeping busy as a youth-care worker who assists at-risk teenagers in his hometown of Lake Wales, Fla.

The result is a series of 12-hour shifts — in addition to his training regimen — so the days can be long. But you will not hear a word of complaint from Milligan Jr., especially in light of the good news he received last week.

Having recovered from a toe injury that forced him to miss the Roughriders’ final 14 games last season, he has received the medical all-clear to prepare without restrictions for the 2024 campaign.

“I’m excited to get back to doing what I usually do,” Milligan Jr. said. “I haven’t had an injury that significant, so being without football for that long was kind of stressful. I’m happy to be able to start training and get ready for next season.”

The Roughriders began the 2023 season in promising fashion, winning three of their first four games.

Milligan Jr. was a key contributor to the strong start. He registered two interceptions in addition to making a crucial tackle in a fourth-quarter third-and-goal situation on June 11, when the Roughriders posted a season-opening victory in Edmonton.

However, his season was abruptly halted after four games due to an injured big toe that was surgically repaired on July 27.

“When it first happened, they thought it was just turf toe,” Milligan Jr. recalled. “As it turned out, the ligament tore completely, so they had to reattach it.

“There were a couple of different things that they did, surgery-wise. It didn’t really hurt that bad, just walking around, but they said it would be bad down the road if I didn’t get the surgery.”

Just like that, the Roughriders were without an important player and presence — a respected leader who had signed a two-year contract extension after a standout 2022 season.

“It was hard, for sure,” he said of being sidelined. “The biggest thing for me was that you never know when you won’t be playing again. All it takes is one play for you to be done for the rest of the season.

“It just makes me cherish it more, to be honest.”

The recent notification that he was cleared to resume training was also something to savour.

“I’m not worried at all about being able to perform again,” he said. “It was really just, ‘When will I get a chance to prepare myself to do it again?’

“At first, I was a little nervous, just from talking with my surgeon and the team doctor about the uncertainty of the surgery. But once I actually got the surgery and understood how I was feeling, I wasn’t worried at all.

“It was more so just, ‘When will I get back to training and preparing my body and mind to get back into football?’ ”

That question was answered, definitively, last week.

“I told (the doctor) that I don’t have any pain in my foot,” Milligan Jr. said. “I didn’t have any pain after jogging or jumping a little bit or anything like that.

“He said, ‘Now you can do everything that you would normally do for your training. As long as there are no setbacks, you’ll be fine. Don’t take baby steps, but increase the intensity as you go along. Don’t just jump straight into it, 100 miles per hour.’ ”

All things considered, Milligan is nicely on track to be 100 per cent once camp arrives.

“Everything is feeling good,” he said. “I’ve really been waiting to start training. I was working with my trainer (Tuesday) morning and I was telling him the same thing.

“I can finally start to prepare again and just get back into football and be able to do football-related activity.”

Milligan Jr. remained active in the community even after sustaining an injury that required the injured foot to be elevated.

In late August, for example, he was one of four Roughriders players who volunteered their time to attend a community barbecue at the mamaweyatitan centre.

“It’s just nice to help out,” Milligan Jr. said at the event, at which he was joined by linebacker A.J. Allen, defensive lineman Anthony Lanier II and defensive back Godfrey Onyeka.

“I’ve had a lot of blessings in my life, so if I can help be a blessing to somebody else, I always try to do as much as I can.”

That mindset has fuelled Milligan Jr.’s passion for his non-football vocation as a youth-care worker.

“It’s a completely different culture outside of that building,” he said. “I have to learn how to adjust to help them get what they need to change the behaviour that they have going on.

“It’s just a matter of getting them to learn how to listen to me and speak in a different manner so they’re not being disrespectful or using vulgar terms. It has been a good experience so far.”

Such is the voice of perspective.

“The injury is not the end of the world for me,” Milligan Jr. continued. “Yeah, it ended my season, but my life isn’t just football.

“I’ve always wanted to be someone who can help guide some kids. There were a lot of situations where I didn’t have guidance and I think it would have helped me to get through some situations better than I did.

“I just want to be that for somebody else who needs it.”