His career in Toronto wasn’t exceptionally long, but it was extremely memorable. Argo fans still smile broadly when they hear the name Adriano Belli.
The defensive tackle was known for his stellar play and his penchant for, shall we say, playing past the whistle. He was once suspended for entering the Montreal locker room before a game to trash talk members of the Alouettes, flipping over a table in the process.
He was even kicked out of the 2012 Grey Cup game.
Off the field Belli made a reputation for being the antithesis of his on-field persona. He loves spending time with kids and his time spent giving to charity is well known.
Then there’s the kissing.
The 6’5” Toronto native, who played at just under 300 pounds, earned the nickname “The Kissing Bandit” due to his penchant for greeting people not with a handshake or fist bump, but with a kiss on both cheeks. Fans, teammates, media members; no one was immune from his unique salutation.
“It started in Montreal, I kissed Don Matthews,” he recalled for Argonauts.ca. “I walked off the field and gave him a big smooch and he had a stone-cold face. He said to me after the game ‘Don’t you ever do that again.’ After the media had some fun with it, he said ‘Okay, you can keep doing that.’ It just kind of took off from there.”
A legend was born.
His post-career life has been an extension of his time spent off the field during his playing days. Belli would leave practice and go to work at the family business, Freshouse Foods, a meat packing company started by his father Joe upon his arrival in Canada from Italy in 1957.
The company has moved from the meat packing district of Toronto to its current location in Georgetown, where on May 18th Belli will be holding an event to show off a new product, while at the same time giving to charity and helping kids.
“We’re looking to make the world’s largest smoked sausage ever manufactured,” he said with smile. “It’s going to be over 17 feet long and about the diameter of a basketball.”
All of the proceeds are going to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, his long-time charity of choice.
The mega meat concept goes nicely with Belli’s reputation as a “go big or go home” type of guy, a prime example of which was his retirement party. Clad in a white sailor’s suit, he held a lavish get together aboard a ship in Toronto harbor which culminated with his teammates throwing him overboard.
Belli played with the Argos from 2007-2010 before his infamous boat cruise, but he was surprisingly brought out of retirement toward the end of the 2012 season and helped the team win the Grey Cup; though he watched the end of the championship game after his expulsion.
He donated each one of his game cheques that season to the Hospital for Sick Children, also raising money by singing on Canadian Idol in exchange for a donation from the show to the hospital.
The big man with a bigger heart is at it again, raising money for his favourite cause.
Using his company to promote the charity should not be a surprise. He’s always worked for the family business, even during his playing days when he would head directly from the locker room to the office.
“I would show up to practice in my white butcher coat,” he said with a laugh.
That little family butcher shop has expanded to a 150,000 square foot facility in Georgetown, the site of the upcoming charity event. It’s not only a chance to raise some money for Sick Kids, but to show off the company’s new Gold Label brand of smoked sausages, fully made in Canada with Canadian products supporting Canadian farmers; a fact Belli was quick to point out.
“I’m so proud of the family business. My older brother Michael runs all of our operations. I think we’re a good team, it’s a true family business.”
For those who attend the event, they’ll get to see the Grey Cup, meet some Argonaut cheerleaders, and of course Belli himself.
The event will be held Thursday, May 18 in the parking lot of Freshouse Foods, located at 71 Todd Road in Georgetown. The unveiling of the World’s Largest Smoked Sausage will be at 11:00, with people expected to show up at around 10:30. Local firefighters and police will be there to take part in a sausage eating contest.
Once again, all proceeds will go to Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children.