September 4, 2010

Lions deal for Stamps’ Newman

THE CANADIAN PRESS

CALGARY — The Calgary Stampeders shipped offensive lineman Jesse Newman to the B.C. Lions for a 2011 second-round selection in the CFL Canadian Draft and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2012.

Newman dressed for 30 games over his first two seasons in Calgary after being selected third overall in the 2008 Canadian Draft.

He announced his retirement on the eve of this year’s training camp, but later changed his mind and returned to the Stampeders following the team’s bye week.

His return sparked an angry response from outspoken Stamps receiver Nik Lewis, who felt that Newman had done none of the work and was only seeking to return because the Stampeders (7-1) are a serious contender this year.

“No comment. I don’t like Jesse,” Lewis told reporters.

“I’m not going to talk about somebody who has retired and come out of retirement. I will talk about people who have been here and put in the work. I won’t talk about anybody else.”

Although Lewis downplayed his comments the next day, it was widely expected that Newman’s days with Calgary were likely numbered.

Calgary has plenty of depth on the offensive line so the deal isn’t likely to hurt the club. It works out well for the Lions, who lost centre Dean Valllie to a broken leg during a win over the Montreal Alouettes on Friday.