The powerful presence of Jermarcus Hardrick is such that he was asked to break down the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ practice upon its conclusion on Tuesday at Mosaic Stadium.
“You think about it all off-season,” the Roughriders’ right offensive tackle said. “You have all these great things that you’re going to say. Then you get in there and you just go blank.
“But it feels great to get in there. It’s always great to talk to the guys. We all come here with all these individual goals and we leave camp with one team goal. That’s the best feeling ever.”
It was a welcome contrast to the initial blank, which was followed by an impassioned address to the team at Coors Light Training Camp.
“I talked to them about family,” Hardrick said. “We’ve got to earn it. No handouts.
“It’s going to be hard, man. Every day is going to be hard. You’ve got to want it. Discipline is better than motivation.”
An ultra-disciplined approach helped Hardrick recover from a quad injury that abruptly ended his 2024 season in the Roughriders’ fifth game.
“It’s amazing — just to be at the young age of 23 and still be able to do this,” said Hardrick, whose 35th birthday coincides with Friday’s CFL pre-season game between Saskatchewan and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
“It’s what I love. I enjoy the game. I missed it last year, watching from the sideline, and was thinking it was over.
“This is everything I ever wanted to do in my life. I wanted to play pro football when I grew up … and I’m still playing.”
He plays a kids’ game with the enthusiasm of a youngster.
That was evident after Samuel Emilus caught a touchdown pass from Trevor Harris during Monday’s practice. The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Hardrick celebrated a smooth sideline catch by picking up Emilus and carrying him toward the huddle.
“I saw a teammate score a touchdown and, instead of me knocking him out, I picked him up,” Hardrick explained. “On game day, we’d both rather be on the ground. I can’t control it.
“I love all my teammates. I’m trying to have fun with them. Hopefully we score a lot of touchdowns and hopefully I don’t knock ’em out, but I’m coming to knock ’em out.
“Sometimes I forget I’m 300 pounds.”
Hardrick is the type of person you do not forget, even if your interaction with him is brief. He is a genial giant with exemplary leadership qualities — as a group of 155 teenaged football players recently discovered.
This past weekend, Hardrick was joined by fullback Albert Awachie and former Roughriders centre Dan Clark as guests at the 11th annual Northern Football Jamboree.
Each year, the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation and Football Saskatchewan partner with the presenting sponsor — First Nations University of Canada — to bring together players and coaches from nine northern teams.
This year’s Jamboree included events that were held Friday and Saturday in Prince Albert (at the Alfred Jenkins Field House) and nearby St. Louis (at nēwoskan, a newly opened FNUniv Traditional Campus).
Players and coaches represented the Creighton Kodiaks, Sandy Bay T-Wolves, Pinehouse Lakers, SMVS Huskies (from Lac La Ronge), Cumberland House Islanders, NAMS Warriors (Cumberland House), Beauval Voyageurs, Churchill Chargers and Ahtahkakoop Titans.
After the training-oriented portions of the Jamboree, organizers had a dinner wrap-up that included a Q&A panel with Awachie, Clark and Hardrick. Clark concluded the event by speaking to the students about mental wellness — a major pillar of the Foundation.
Also of note at the dinner: The kids sang “Happy Birthday” for an appreciative Hardrick.
“There’s so much the Rider Foundation does,” he said.
“Being from a small town — a place where there’s only a post office and a Co-op — I can relate to the kids.
“Every time I met a pro athlete when I was young, it just meant so much to me. It’s great to have fun, take pictures, and act like just a normal guy. I bleed and go to sleep, too.
“They asked questions and we just hung out.”
The attendees also hung on every word when the towering University of Nebraska grad spoke to them.
“A lot of them were responding when I was talking about my motivation, like my mom — just seeing her, seeing the things she did and seeing how hard she worked,” Delores Hardrick’s proud son said.
“Football was my way to get out and it exposed me to the rest of the world. I probably would never gone to Canada and never went to Nebraska.
“I could have definitely gone to school and got good grades and done other things, but football is the reason I’m here talking to you today.
“I told them, ‘Use football. Don’t let football use you. Go get a free education. Go get a chance to get exposed. Just go have fun in football.”
Just like today’s 23-year-old version of Jermarcus Hardrick.
“Yeah,” he said with a laugh. “I’m 23 for the 12th time. Here we go!”
