Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
Three of the top quarterbacks in the CFL added a brand new play to their playbooks this off-season.
Calgary’s Bo Levi Mitchell, Edmonton’s Mike Reilly and Ottawa’s Trevor Harris all penciled in “dad” on their already impressive resumes.
Along with leading their respective teams when the 2017 season gets under way, the trio will be faced with another task – balancing being fathers to their brand new babies with their other full-time jobs on the gridiron.
Of the three pivots, Reilly has the most experience, although not much, juggling fatherhood and football – he played just one game late in the season after the birth of his daughter, Brooklyn.
Brooklyn was born on November 14, 2016 – the day after the Eskimos defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Eastern Semi-Final. That meant Edmonton, and Reilly, had to jump on a plane to head up to Ottawa for the Eastern Final against the REDBLACKS just three days later.
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Mitchell and Reilly may look to each other for parenting advice when they’re not battling for position in the West (CFL.ca)
“It’s going to be a new thing this year,” Reilly told CFL.ca during an interview at Mark’s CFL Week in Regina. “I didn’t get a lot of experience playing and being a dad last year. That week was just crazytown, having the baby and then trying to play the playoff game. It just kind of all went by so fast that I don’t have a lot of vivid memories of it. You just get through it the best that you can.”
The rookie father, who is heading into his fifth season with the green and gold, is getting time in with his daughter now during the off-season – time that includes the usual daddy duties along with some creative workouts.
“I’m a stay-at-home dad right now,” Reilly said. “So I’m getting way more daughter time than most dads normally get. My wife works in sales so she’s out of the house a lot so I’m full on dad, changing diapers, feeding bottles, rocking her to sleep. Full-on dad all day, every day. I’m getting my fix right now.”
In just over a month, Reilly will be changing his tune from stay-at-home dad back to CFL quarterback, looking to help lead his team to another playoff run.
Last season, Reilly lead the league in passing yards (5554) and tossed 28 touchdowns in his best season to date with the Eskimos. The Esks finished the regular season in the crossover playoff spot before being eliminated in the Eastern Final at the hands of the 104th Grey Cup champion Ottawa REDBLACKS.
The 32-year-old will likely have a little extra motivation this season, especially during games at Commonwealth Stadium where Brooklyn, and his wife Emily, will be cheering him on in the stands.
REDBLACKS’ quarterback Trevor Harris is another rookie father that’ll have extra motivation when the season kicks off in June.
Not only is Harris the undisputed starter for Ottawa this season – the retirement of Henry Burris made room for the 30-year-old to slot into the top spot – he too became a father this off-season.
Trenton James – or TJ as he and his wife Kalie call him – was welcomed into the world just a few months ago and Harris already has a game plan of how to balance football and fatherhood.
“At first, honestly, you’re so paranoid to even look away. It’s just, ‘keep her alive. Keep her alive.’”
Bo Levi Mitchell on becoming a first-time father
“She (Kalie) understands that football is never more important but at the same time during the season I need to put in extra hours,” said Harris, whose wife and new little one will be living in Ottawa with him during the season. “Off-season is just as grueling for myself. I put in seven or eight hour days working on my craft, doing the things that I need to do to get ready for the season. It shouldn’t be too big of a change (during the season), maybe just a little bit more times in terms of watching film.”
Last season, Harris and Burris shared quarterbacking duties as the REDBLACKS made their Grey Cup-winning run.
Harris suited up in 12 games, throwing for 3301 yards and 16 touchdowns in his first season in the nation’s capital while helping four receivers – Greg Ellingson, Brad Sinopoli, Chris Williams and Ernest Jackson – nab 1000-yard campaigns.
Mitchell joined Harris and Reilly in parenthood this off-season, becoming a father to a baby girl.
“At first, honestly, you’re so paranoid to even look away,” Mitchell said, whose daughter Ele is just over two months old. “It’s just, ‘keep her alive. Keep her alive.’ Every time she chokes up, in your head you’re like, ‘oh my God, she’s going to die.’”
The nervous first-time dad was quite the opposite last season. He was cool, calm and collected, helping to lead the Stampeders to their best season in recent memory. With a 15-2-1 record, Calgary went all the way to the Grey Cup championship in late November before being defeated by Harris and the REDBLACKS.
The Calgary pivot had a career season in 2016 as well, throwing for 5385 yards and 32 touchdowns in the 17 games he started in.
With the help of their understanding spouses, the three QBs will be focused on the balancing act that is being a professional football player and a brand new parent as they all vie for the same goal – winning the Grey Cup.
“She (Madison) understands that I have to do what I have to do football wise,” Mitchell said of his wife. “I have to get up at 4 a.m. to go the stadium and that can’t change. I have to spend as much time at the stadium as I do, that can’t change.
“But when I’m at home, I’ll be a dad.”
