The Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Labour Day classic in Regina, SK, September 1, 2024. Photo Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards
Shawn Bane Jr.’s disposition is as sunny as his surroundings.
From beautiful Sarasota, Fla., the Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver is upbeat about his recovery from a season-ending knee injury he sustained in a Sept. 28 CFL game.
Sure, it was a setback, but …
“Being negative won’t make the situation any better,” he says. “I’ve seen negativity and been around people who don’t necessarily enjoy the positions that they’re in.
“It’s easy to be negative. Being the outlier is the positivity and trying to pull good from every situation. Over the years, I’ve just gotten better at it.
“Everything is not happening to us. Something is actually happening for us as well. I’ve developed that muscle, if you will, and kind of strengthened it over the years.”
The objective now is to strengthen a knee that required surgery due to a complete tear of the lateral collateral ligament and a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament.
“It’s going well so far,” Bane Jr. says. “Thankfully, right before leaving Saskatchewan, I was able to walk, so I didn’t need crutches and I didn’t do any of that. That was around late November. I’ve pretty much been pushing it ever since then.”
But not outside the limits of what the specialists have suggested.
“We’re mobile now,” he continues. “I’m pretty much jogging. I went to get fitted for a knee brace. So things are pretty much looking on the up-and-up.”
The doctors concur.
“They definitely said I was progressing well,” Bane Jr. says. “I tore my ACL before in college, my second year, so I knew how to go about it and what the timeline is.
“Going through these things, the mental is pretty much the best thing you have going for yourself. The more positive you can be mentally, the stronger your body can be, and the more goodwill follows.”
The perpetually positive pass-catcher is a source of goodwill at all times. Such a mentality is helpful when there is adversity.
“One thousand per cent,” Bane Jr. says. “I don’t necessarily get down on myself, even if I’m not where I want to be.
“It’s about understanding that it’s a journey to get back to the 100 per cent. There are very few times, even when you play a game, when you’ll be at 100 per cent.
“It’s just the journey to get back to pretty much the optimal level. Crawl before you walk — it’s pretty much at that phase.
“I’ll be jogging. Then I’ll be sprinting, definitely before camp. I’m gearing to hit the road running when they clear me.”
Bane Jr. enjoyed a running start in Riderville, catching 93 passes for 1,104 yards and four touchdowns in 2023 after signing with Saskatchewan as a free agent.
He began the 2024 campaign in fine fashion, catching five passes for 125 yards and three touchdowns in a season-opening, 29-21 victory over the host Edmonton Elks.
Along the way, he tied a Roughriders record for touchdown receptions in a game, registering the 20th hat trick in team history.
Overall, he caught 49 passes for 581 yards in 14 games as a second-year Roughrider. Despite missing four full games and the better part of a fifth, he caught five TD passes and finished in a tie for the team lead with Samuel Emilus and KeeSean Johnson.
Over the off-season, Bane Jr. has kept in close touch with teammates such as offensive tackle Jermarcus Hardrick (who is also recovering from a major injury), quarterback Trevor Harris and colleagues in the receiving corps.
“I’m super blessed, because they’re all just one call away and they’re all rooting for me in my return,” Bane Jr. says. “It has been cool bouncing ideas, thoughts, theories and mindsets off each other.
“They’re helping me get through this particular journey. Yoshi (Hardrick) is sending me some mental exercises and things like that and I’ve been sending him some as well.
“For me, there is community, with one push of a button on the phone. I’m super thankful for the community that I have and the people who support me.”
