Bombers snap up Matechuk

In what is about to be a free-agent frenzy on Wednesday when Canadian Football League players can sign with other teams, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers announced on Tuesday they had signed a player who is trying resurrect his career after serving time in jail for possession of steroids and marijuana.

The Bombers have given Canadian long snapper/linebacker Jordan Matechuk a second chance. It is up to him to make use of it.

Matechuk made headlines early in June last year when it became known that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection caught him on May 31 carrying 543 anabolic steroid pills, 262 millilitres of anabolic steroids in liquid form, 1.25 grams of marijuana, 19 syringes and 51 replacement needles while en route from Alberta to Hamilton.

How he came to end up at the U.S. border while essentially driving through Canada was never revealed.

Matechuk talked to sportsnet.ca last year, but was advised to say little specifically about the whys and the wherefores of the arrest. All that has ever been revealed is that he was driving to the Ticats’ training camp, but didn’t tell the team of his arrest and the charges, nor did he mention it to his agent, Fred Weinrauch. When the news became public, the Ticats quickly released him and it became a national story.

A player who had been the team’s long snapper the previous season and an unknown commodity in the CFL, suddenly became the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons. Matechuk had been an overachieving, short and stocky Canadian version of Rudy.

His career appeared over, but that seemed far from his biggest concern. After discussing the issue with his lawyer, Matechuk decided to plead guilty. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and was released after 60.

During the time after his release, Matechuk kept in close contact with Weinrauch, who is based in Montreal. His agent advised Matechuk to write a letter of apology and contrition to all the CFL teams expressing his shame for what he had done. The Bombers, with whom he had tried out in 2007 and 2008 after playing for the Winnipeg Rifles of the Canadian Junior Football League, were the only team to express interest in him after his release from jail. Aside from the publicity (good or bad) they will receive for the signing, they have not invested any money.

"We did a lot of due diligence on that," Bombers general manager Joe Mack told the Winnipeg media. "To go through that process, to be honest with you, I was probably a little bit reticent."

The idea had been brought to Mack by Bombers’ special teams coach Kyle Walters and head coach Paul LaPolice. Mack was made aware of Matechuk’s skills as a long snapper, but he needed to talk to the player to be convinced he had changed.

"I had a long interview with him and it got to the point where I started to just change my opinion," Mack said. "I saw a young man that I thought was contrite, that he had other hurdles that he was trying to overcome in his life. The first thing is, does he have a chance to contribute to our club? I think he does. He’s paid his price. He understands he has very tight parameters coming here, what our expectations are as a club. I thought he deserved a second chance and that’s why I did it.

"I was very forthright with him, as I am with all our players, (saying), ‘Jordan, you made a significant mistake. You have to understand there’s going to be a very line for you and he understands that. He was very appreciative. I felt he was embarrassed by what he had done, so I thought he deserved a second chance."

Matechuk can do something that few players can do well, hence at least one team reached out to him. Long snappers are noticed only when they screw up and sail the ball over the punter’s head or fire back a one-hopper, but if Matechuk can do for the Bombers what he did for the Ticats, he will have value. He can also play linebacker, but he’s undersized and doesn’t have the skill to be anything more than a backup to be used in a dire situation. He really has one role. It is that role that has allowed him the opportunity to become a CFL player again – at least for now. There are no guarantees in football.

Matechuk was not made available to the media. He had already gone back to Alberta, where he works on an oil rig.

"Just think about what he lost," Weinrauch told sportsnet.ca. "Getting a second chance for him is kind of surreal. I’m very happy for him. Winnipeg has given the kid another chance. I know they wouldn’t have signed him if they didn’t believe he could help the club and wasn’t right. There’s still a long way to go. He has to make the team. Players get cut all the time, but he’s a damn good long snapper, so I believe he’ll make the team."

Because the CFL introduced random drug testing last year to 25 percent of its players and has increased it to 35 percent this year, there is the chance Matechuk will be subjected to tests.

"He’s not afraid to do that. I believe he’s (emotionally and mentally) right," Weinrauch said. "He’s obviously got to be aware of that. I don’t have to tell him that. The situation is weird for me. I’ve never had to deal with a steroid issue before."

This is truly a unique circumstance.

Perry Lefko keeps you connected to all the news in the CFL on sportsnet.ca. He is also a regular contributor on other sports, including the UFC.