THE CANADIAN PRESS
Argos DT Adriano Belli swears this is true.
The B.C. Lions selected him sixth overall in the 2000 CFL Canadian College Draft, a decade before the process would be glamourized by television, and one of the first things the general manager told Belli on the telephone was: “You’re slow, you’re fat and you’re not much of an athlete – but we drafted you because you’re a Canadian.”
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Conversations would have sounded a little different Sunday, when the CFL draft kicked off with two hours of live coverage featuring no fewer than eight TSN analysts. An event once held as a conference call among teams and reporters has evolved, as the CFL creeps closer to the shadow cast by the NFL model, raising the stakes for team officials tasked with shepherding their draftees into the professional ranks.
“It’s much more scrutinized,” Toronto Argonauts head coach Jim Barker said Monday. “And the Internet and the Twitterers and all those kinds of things have made it that way, which is good, because now you need to be prepared. Ultimately, part of our livelihood is how good our Canadian players are.”
TSN announced Monday that it drew an average audience of 120,000 viewers for the draft, almost double the number from the previous year. This was the second year the opening two rounds were carried on live television
Toronto made two of the first three selections on Sunday, taking offensive lineman Joe Eppele (Washington St.) and linebacker Cory Greenwood (Concordia). The process of bridging the gap between university and the new expectations of professional football has already begun with the Argos, beginning with contract negotiations and continuing into the more nuanced facets of the game.
Draftees will receive a letter from Barker on his expectations heading into training camp, followed by another communique from the team regarding everything from flight details to equipment sizes. Position coaches are likely to call at least once to give their incoming charges an idea of where they will fit within the organization.
Toronto opens its three-day rookie camp June 1.
The process is similar in Edmonton, where the Eskimos distribute specialized DVDs and literature to the draftees about their positions, including a playbook. The team takes the added step of offering advice about where to find a place to live with the expectation that once camp ends, a player will be able to navigate the city without the organization having to hold his hand.
“You’re always looking for, ‘Hey, are you guys dealing with any particular people? Reputable people?”‘ Eskimos general manager Danny Maciocia said. “Because you never know what you can get yourself into, right? So we sort of provide some guidance – but ultimately, they are adults, and they are on their own.”
Maciocia also takes the time before the draft to interview players from Quebec, who might not favour a life in Western Canada.
“We want to make sure we’re not just investing in a kid for a year or two, and then before you know it, he’ll be a Montreal Alouette,” Maciocia said. “The process is a lengthy one, but it’s one in which you definitely want to invest some time and even some money, because you’ve got to jump on a plane and go see them for a second or third time to make sure you feel comfortable.”
Montreal-based agent Darren Gill had 14 clients selected Sunday, including the first overall pick, linebacker Shomari Williams. On top of negotiating contracts, he said he also helps players adjust to life outside the shelter of a university dormitory.
“All the little things like getting them ready for camp and what to expect,” Gill said. “Then there’s how housing works in their respective cities, when cutdown dates happen and what to expect.”
All that is left, then, is the work, and the bonus of free time away from the field.
“I think about what I’m going to do with the rest of my day, because I don’t have class anymore,” Williams said. “So I guess I’m going to have to be watching film a whole lot more.”
Belli delayed his move to Canada, having signed with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons after his collegiate career with the University of Houston. The six-foot-five, 295-pound defensive lineman finally played a game in Vancouver a year after he was drafted, and is preparing to begin his 10th CFL season this year in Toronto.
His general manager, Adam Rita, is the same who had called him moments after his draft selection 10 years ago. Rita, for his part, denies calling the player either fat or slow – claiming he said only that, “this is a different game up here.”
“Besides monetarily, I couldn’t have asked for a better scenario than playing in the CFL for 10 years,” Belli said. “I’m glad it turned out like it did.”