CFL.ca
It’s a question Osagie Odiase won’t ever stop asking himself.
If he had gone to the nightclub that night, would his friend Mylan Hicks still be alive?
“That is still painful,” the Calgary Stampeder defensive back said Wednesday. “Me not being there kind of hurt me because I know for a fact it would have been different.”
Odiase decided to stay home that night back on Sept. 25. Hicks, Odiase’s roommate and a defensive back on the Stampeders’ practice roster, went out to join some of the other Calgary players at a night spot.
Hicks arrived late to find some sort of altercation. He was shot and killed. The Detroit native, who attended Michigan State, was only 23.
“I heard the confrontation wasn’t even that big,” said Odiase. “He (Hicks) bought the guy a drink.”
Hicks’ death sent ripples through the Stampeder organization. His helmet and shoulder pads remained hanging in his stall in the Calgary locker room for the rest of the season.
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This Sunday, that same helmet and shoulder pads will be hanging in the West dressing room when the Stampeders play the Ottawa REDBLACKS in the 104th Grey Cup presented by Shaw.
“He’s definitely still here with us,” said running back Jerome Messam. “It’s been tough but we’ve stuck together.
“We definitely lean on each other as teammates. Mylan was like a little brother. I think about him every day. We don’t want to let his life be in vain.”
Hicks’ mother Renee Hill, father Reggie Hill and sister Jazzmine Fowlkes will be at BMO Field for Sunday’s game.
“We told her before, we’re going to get her to the Grey Cup,” said defensive back Jamar Wall. “I want her last memory in Canada to not be something negative. And that’s to get her a ring.”
In honour of his former teammate Wall switched his number to the No. 31 Hicks wore.
In last week’s West Final, Wall intercepted a pass late in the second half and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown. It made the score 31-0 for Calgary.
“It was my first time making a play in the number,” said Wall. “Wearing 31 I scored the 31st point.
“I’m a very religious guy. I always feel like he’s with us. If that’s not a sign I don’t know what is.”
Odiase, a Los Angeles native who played six games with the Stampeders this year, met Hicks when the two attended a free-agent training camp in Florida.
Hicks helped tutor Odiase on the field and the two shared an apartment. They often handed out rice crispy cakes and fruit snacks to homeless people while walking to the train every day on the way to practise.
About once a week, they would treat a homeless person to dinner at a restaurant.
“Anywhere you saw me, you saw him,” said Odiase. “Anywhere you saw him, you saw me.”
Mylan Hicks during his career at Michigan State (Michigan State University)
Head Coach Dave Dickenson said Hicks’ death left a scar that is still healing.
“There were some tough moments and there still are,” he said. “It’s not over.”
Dickenson knew he would face some challenges in his first year as a head coach. A player being shot isn’t something you prepare for.
“I didn’t have a template,” he said. “I didn’t know what to tell the coaches, the players.
“You don’t want to get on a political soapbox, but it shouldn’t happen. The kid comes from Detroit and comes to Calgary. It shouldn’t happen. It’s got to be in our hearts. I can’t say I handled it well. I did my best and the guys certainly have a purpose. We play for more than ourselves.”
The Stampeders began the season as a talented group of players. Odiase believes Hicks’ death made them a team.
“The energy is crazy now,” he said. “It just gave it a huge spurt.
“Once Mylan passed away everybody just came together. You could feel it when you walked into the locker room. Everybody knows what we are playing for this year. Obviously, it’s the Grey Cup but we are also playing for No. 31 too.”
Messam said the incident put a lot of things in perspective.
“It’s just made me appreciate life and not really take things for granted,” said the Toronto native. “You never know when it’s your time.”
A 19-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with Hicks’ death. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in May.
Odiase said Hicks wasn’t the type of person who looked for trouble.
“Both of us are really low-key guys,” he said. “We don’t like to be in the spotlight.”
Odiase still lives in the house he shared with Hicks. In Hicks’ old bedroom, his Michigan State jersey and playbook are laid out on the bed.
“Every morning before I leave I go to his room and give a bow and salute . . . just to show my respect,” said Odiase.
People have asked Odiase why he doesn’t move.
“I still kind of feel him in there,” he said. “Why run away from it?
“If I feel him, I want to be there still.”
