CFLers’ work is never doneAn average salary of $60,000 with no job security means CFL players work through the off-season in construction, bartending, firefighting … ANDREW WALLACE / TORONTO STAR Argo receiver Mike Bradwell poses outside the Maple Leaf Square condo project where he works in the off-season. Published on May 17 2010 Chris ZelkovichSPORTS REPORTER Mike Bradwell wears two hats, literally. For six months, his head is covered by a football helmet as he toils as a receiver for the Toronto Argonauts. The rest of the year, he wears a hard hat while doing his other job as a civil engineer for PCL Construction. Like most Canadian Football League players, there’s nothing off about the off-season. With teams paying an average salary of about $60,000 a year, most players want or have to augment that with another job. While $60,000 for six months’ work is pretty good pay for the average kid just out of university, there’s more to it than just padding the bank account. It’s a matter of thinking ahead. “We’re not getting paid millions of dollars, so it’s important to have a second career to go to,” says Bradwell, who graduated from McMaster University last year with a degree in civil engineering. There’s more to it than that. “We do get a long off-season,” the Toronto native says. “Financially, it’s possible to get by without working in the off-season, but you don’t want to sit on the couch all winter. “You have to keep busy and keep sane heading into training camp.” All across North America, CFL players become regular working stiffs either to keep themselves busy or to start preparing for life after football. After all, careers can end in a flash with a new head coach deciding on a change in direction or a catastrophic injury making that decision for him. “There are no guarantees,” says Bradwell. “Nobody plays football forever.” • Argo defensive back Matt Black spent the winter selling clothes at lululemon and then training to be a mutual fund salesman. • Linebacker Kevin Eiben runs a sports training facility while running back Jeff Johnson sells real estate. • Defensive lineman Adriano Belli works in the family meat business year-round when not knocking heads with guys on the other side of the line. • Punter Eddie Johnson splits his time working as a bartender in California and as a personal coach to a young kicking prospect. • Edmonton quarterback Jason Maas works in sales on the Alberta oil fields. • Hamilton Tiger-Cats offensive lineman Peter Dyakowski puts his imposing size to use as a youth worker at a correctional facility. So does Ticat defensive back Sandy Beveridge, who also works during the season as a volunteer firefighter. For Bradwell, it’s a matter of preparing himself for a career he had long planned on while working in one he wasn’t so sure about. “I didn’t realize until later in my career at Mac that I’d have a shot at the CFL, so I didn’t really plan that part of my life,” says the sophomore receiver. He spent the winter working with PCL at Maple Leaf Square, overseeing the finishing work on condo interiors. “I figured this was a good way to get my foot in the door with the biggest general contractor in Canada,” he says. It’s a bit of a grind at times, he admits. He’ll often put in 12-hour days on the construction site, then find time to lift weights four days a week as he prepares for the start of training camp in June. “But I’m used to it,” he says. “At school we worked long days and trained, too.” Dyakowski isn’t necessarily preparing for a career in youth work, mainly because he hasn’t thought much about a future without football. “I plan to play football as long as I possibly can,” says the gregarious Vancouver native. For him, it’s more a matter of building up a bank account and picking up a few new skills for whatever he takes on once his football days are over. “It’s been a good experience for me,” the sophomore lineman says. “I’ve picked up some new skills, especially with conflict resolution and de-escalating situations that could otherwise head south pretty quickly. “The most valuable lesson is learning how to tell kids ‘No’ firmly and effectively. That’ll come in handy when I have kids of my own.” Both Dyakowski and Beveridge say their jobs dealing with young offenders at Hamilton’s Arrell Youth Centre isn’t quite Hollywood, but has its dramatic moments. “I wouldn’t call it a friendly atmosphere, but it wasn’t as dangerous as I thought it would be,” Dyakowski says. “It’s not like the movies at all.” Neither wears a uniform or carries a billy club. Among their duties are getting the inmates to breakfast and generally providing security and guidance. There are conflicts and fights, but nothing that a 6-6, 300-pound lineman and 6-2, 215-pound defensive back can’t handle. “The size definitely helps,” says Dyakowski. The job has its challenges, but it also has its rewards. “You feel like maybe you can make a difference in the lives of some of these kids,” says Beveridge. “A lot of them have made one or two bad choices that got them here and you hope the next time they face a choice like that, they’ll make the right one.” Beveridge juggles two off-season jobs while squeezing in training for the season. In addition to his youth centre job, he works year-round as a volunteer firefighter in the town of Binbrook. It’s not as volunteer as you’d think. Beveridge had to undergo the same kind of training that full-time firefighters receive and is paid by the call. It’s all part of being smart, he says. “At the end of my football career, I’m going to have to enter the workforce,” he says. “It’s not like I’m going to have millions of dollars in the bank to fall back on. “I’m just building my resume for the day when I get out there and have to get a real job.”
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 01:06:09 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015