BY PERRY LEFKO
sportsnet.ca
The career of Canadian running back Jesse Lumsden will come to a dramatic head this week when he meets with Calgary Stampeders' general manager/head coach John Hufnagel to discuss his future in the Canadian Football League.
SPORTSNET.CA has learned the team will not push him to retire, though it's an option that Lumsden will undoubtedly have to consider.
Hufnagel indicated on a media conference call Tuesday that he would meet with Lumsden, who is rehabbing from major reconstructive knee surgery in the off-season. Hufnagel said Lumsden is not expected to be physically able to play until the end of September at the earliest.
At this point, Lumsden is still on the roster, but with training camp approaching in less than four weeks, the Stamps would be able to release him and thus open up another roster spot.
Lumsden, who lives in Calgary, could simply ask for his release, and ponder what he wants to do in the future. One possibility is retiring from football, which he has been reluctant to do that despite an assortment of injuries.
Lumsden signed as a free agent with Calgary last September, following a year in Edmonton in which he suffered a serious shoulder injury in his first regular-season game and did not play again. He had numerous shoulder issues during his four years in Hamiltom, which ultimately led to Lumsden and the team parting ways.
He signed with Edmonton in 2009 as a free agent because he was born in that city. His father, Neil, played for the Eskimos during his career, and it was a feel-good story, but it took a dramatic turn when he suffered a shoulder injury when hit with an innocent-looking tackle. The Eskimos released him after the season.
Lumsden endeared himself to his Stampeders' teammates with his work ethic and willingness to play in whatever role asked, but when he actually joined the roster, he only lasted three games.
Lumsden was a sensation at McMaster University. He was awarded with the Hec Crighton Trophy as the top college player in Canada in 2004. The Stamps selected him sixth overall in the 2005 draft. Early in his career with Hamilton, he showed tremendous promise with his burly running style, playing a position normally employed by an import. But injuries began taking a toll the next season and bothered him for the next two years.
The 28-year-old has a fallback career in bobsleigh. He's a Canadian champion and represented Canada in the two-man and four-man event at the 2010 Olympics, placing fifth in both.
