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Angus Reid is at peace with the most difficult football decision hes ever had to make. Lamar Jackson College Jersey . The B.C. Lions veteran centre announced his retirement Friday, ending a 13-year CFL career. "As an athlete you know this day will always come but you never want to think about it and never want to know its real so youre forced with facing that reality," Reid said. "But Im good with it because it was my decision and most athletes dont get that opportunity, their careers end because of various factors out of their control. "Sure, in the youthful part of my mind Id love to play football forever but I know I cant give the game what Id want to give it in terms of what I have left physically and I wouldnt be happy with that. I have nothing but happy memories and theres nothing more I couldve achieved. I think I over-achieved and Im proud of what I was able to get done in this sport." The six-foot-one, 305-pound Reid appeared in over 200 regular-season games, 11 playoff contests and three Grey Cups with the Lions (winning two). Heady stuff indeed, considering the inauspicious start to his pro career. The 37-year-old native of Richmond, B.C., was selected fourth overall in the 01 CFL draft by the Toronto Argonauts. However, the former Simon Fraser star was released during training camp and spent time on the Montreal Alouettes practice roster before being dealt to B.C. later that year. "I vividly remember that first year after getting home to the Lions saying, Wow, I guess this is probably it. Im a journeyman after one season. This is not what I planned," Reid said. "But true to my character and who I am I just sort of kept focusing on what I could do, kept working and didnt let what was happening dictate what I was going to do. "I think Im a pretty good example that continuous hard work does pay off. Life is going to be up and down and its going to be a bumpy road but you just have to stay on that roller-coaster longer because most of us want to get off when it gets rough. I just stayed on and it worked out well." Reid was a West Division all-star on three occasions and he earned league honours in 2011. He was also actively involved in community events. "Few players have made the kind of impression both on and off the field as a member of the B.C. Lions that Angus has during his career," Lions general manager Wally Buono said in a statement. "He was an incredibly durable player, a tremendous leader in our dressing room and he will be missed by everyone in our organization." Former CFL players Doug Brown and Bryan Chiu took to Twitter to offer their congratulations to Reid. "Throughout college & the pros, there arent many Ive lined up against that I respected more," tweeted Brown, a native of New Westminster, B.C., who was a standout defensive tackle with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. "Congrats on ur retirement." Added Chiu, a Vancouver native who played centre for the Montreal Alouettes: "Congrats on a great career. Proud of you bro. Who wouldve thought we would both be centers in the CFL back at @vcrfootball." But Reid definitely saw the signs it was time to retire, most notably missing last season after undergoing major back surgery. "That was a wakeup call to me saying Im 37 now, not 27," Reid said. "Theres going to be life after football whether you like it or not and you want to be as healthy as you can so you can do other things in life and still have a lot of enjoyment and fun. "I have a wife and were trying to start a family and you have to look forward to more things." And then there was the realization that many of Reids former Lions teammates had long since moved on. "Half the guys I played with are my coaches now and you look around and say, Did I not get the memo," Reid said with a chuckle. "The good thing is I have no regrets looking back. "Im not leaving anything on the table. In that regard I dont want to say it was an easier decision but it gives me comfort that I can leave looking back with really proud, happy memories of my time in this sport." Especially with the majority of those memories having come at home. "There was some luck involved, obviously, that I got to play my career in B.C.," he said. "I grew up going to Lions games, my brother, Mark, was a long-snapper with the Lions in 1990 so I looked at it as a kid thinking, This would be amazing to do. "Well, I actually got to do it in the stadium I grew up going to watch games in. You really couldnt write a better career in terms of happiness, to be able to do it with your parents and family being able to come to almost every single game. You dream of a career like that and no matter how good it is it often doesnt come as close to what you would envision as a youth but mine really did and Im thankful and proud of that." As for what lies ahead, all Reid knows for sure is he wont be suiting up for the Lions in 2014. "Thats a good question, thats what Im trying to figure out right now," he said. "I did a pretty good job during my career of building bridges and good networks of people and so I do have a lot of opportunities. "However, Im trying to be careful to not to rush into the first opportunity, Im trying to look at them all." Reid has thought about a few different options when it comes to his future. "Id love to stay involved in the sport in some way but the probability of being a coach is slim right now," he said. "I think Id like to stay involved maybe in the sports media, be it TV, radio, newspapers. "But I have a feeling Ill also be doing other things in the business community. Im a Vancouver guy, this is where Ill be. Ill be busy, probably busier than I was when I played and went to work every day, put on sweats and ran around for a few hours. Now Ill probably be all over the place."Authentic Louisville Jerseys . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. Cheap Louisville Gear .Y. -- First, Patrick Kane gave his family and friends something to cheer about by scoring a highlight-reel goal in a rare trip home to Buffalo on Sunday night.MINNEAPOLIS -- Hours after reversing course and benching Adrian Peterson indefinitely, Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said Wednesday that the team "made a mistake" in bringing back their superstar running back following his indictment on a felony child-abuse charge in Texas. "We made a mistake and we need to get this right," he said at a crowded news conference. "It is important to always listen to our fans and the community and our sponsors. Our goal is always to make the decision we feel is right for the Minnesota Vikings ... We want to be sure we get this right." Wilf and his co-owner brother, Mark Wilf, announced their decision around 2 a.m. Eastern after concluding it was best for the Vikings and for Peterson, their All-Pro workhorse who has played his entire NFL career with Minnesota and is accused of injuring his 4-year-old son by spanking him with a wooden switch earlier this year. The organization put Peterson on the exempt-commissioners permission list, meaning he is off the active roster while he deals with his legal affairs. General manager Rick Spielman would not put a timeframe on when Peterson might be back. "Until these legal matters are resolved, that he will remain on this exemption list," he said. A day-and-a-half earlier, the Vikings said Peterson would rejoin the team after missing Sundays loss to New England. The backlash to that announcement was significant. The Vikings had at least one major sponsorship suspended. Several prominent NFL advertisers, including Anheuser-Busch, expressed concern about the leagues recent off-the-field problems, which include former Ravens running back Ray Rice and the indictment of Peterson. The governor was critical. Fans were angry. Castrol Motor Oil, Special Olympics Minnesota and Mylan Inc. all severed ties with Peterson. Twin Cities area Nike stores pulled Petersons jerseys from its shelves and the team cancelled an appearance at a childrens home. Mark Wilf dismissed the suggestion that Peterson was barred strictly because of sponsor concerns. "Absolutely not," he said. "We value our partners, our sponsors, our community and especially our fans. In the end, it really is about getting it right. We made a mistake." Petersons agent, Ben Dogra, said the decision was "the best possible outcome given the circumstances." "Adrian understands the gravity of the situation and this enables him to take care of his personal situation," Dogra told The Associated Press. "We fully support Adrian and he looks forward to watching his teammates and coaches being successful during his absence." The NFL Players Association said it had worked with Peterson and the team to resolve "this unique situation. Stitched Louisville Jerseys. "Adrian Peterson made a decision to take a voluntary leave with pay to take care of his personal and legal issues," the union said. "We support this decision and hope the best for him and his family." Peterson has an Oct. 8 court appearance scheduled in Montgomery County, outside of Houston, on a felony charge of injury to a child. Peterson has taken responsibility for the incident, insisting he meant no harm and alluding to similar punishment he endured from his parents while growing up in Palestine, Texas. Peterson hasnt appeared publicly since the grand jury indictment, but in a statement this week he said hes met with a psychologist and acknowledged there are "alternative ways of disciplining a child that may be more appropriate." The case is expected to take several months to proceed through the court system, so the possibility of Peterson playing again in 2014 appears slim. His future with the Vikings is another matter. He turns 30 next year and will continue to carry a huge salary cap hit in 2015. The Vikings held Peterson out of the 30-7 loss to New England on Sunday to let the situation simmer. Then on Monday they announced Peterson would rejoin the team and play this weekend at New Orleans. But the Radisson hotel chain suspended its sponsorship with the Vikings and Papa Johns pizza considered doing the same. Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, who spearheaded an effort to secure $477 million in public money to help build the team a new stadium, and Sen. Al Franken were among the many who called for the Vikings to reconsider their position. The Vikings said they had deliberations with the NFL over the previous two days. They said they informed the league they were revisiting the original decision. Executives were at the teams Winter Park headquarters late into the night Tuesday, discussing how to respond to the avalanche of criticism. It explained the early-morning announcement. "There were a lot of people discussing this, working through it, a lot of different parties in this," Mark Wilf said. "We felt once we get it right, to get it out when we got it right." Peterson has been the face of the franchise since he was drafted in 2007, one of the most popular and marketable stars in the NFL whose All Day Foundation charity is devoted to helping children. But the foundations website was shuttered Tuesday, at one point posting a message that it "will re-engage after Adrian, his family, and staff have reflected on how the current situation impacts the direction for Adrians philanthropy." Wholesale China Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Nike Basketball Jerseys Hockey Jerseys China Supply Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys SaleAuthentic College Jerseys MLB Jerseys China Stitched Soccer Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap Nike Jerseys ' ' '
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Activity: May 25 '20
