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| Darian Durant speaks at the In the End Zone Dinner. |
How much fun was it to DJ
at Gabbo’s Nightclub after winning the 2011 Labour Day Classic?
Speaking to a packed
banquet room in the clubhouse building at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the
legendary former Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback grinned and answered the
query at the Saskatoon Hilltops End Zone Dinner on Saturday night.
“It was nice,” said
Durant. “It took it way back with that one.
“You know 2011 was a
rough year, and after getting that win in the Labour Day Classic, I think that
was when (head) coach (Ken) Miller came back for his first game after his
retirement. I was just happy to get a win.
“It was just a
regular party, and Gabbo’s was the place to be.”
Durant was the guest
speaker at Saturday’s dinner, where the net proceeds go towards scholarships
and bursaries for Hilltops players. A question and answer session was part of
the program.
Of course, the
36-year-old from Florence, South Carolina, was asked if he would return to play
in the CFL during the Q and A session. Durant announced his retirement on May
11.
“You just never
know,” said Durant. “I remember we were talking at the table when Kerry Joseph
came back in 2014, (and) he came back right before the playoffs.”
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| Darian Durant, left, shares a laugh with Dave Thomas. |
“I wanted to be
there every step of the way,” said Durant, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 214
pounds. “Now that she is a little bit older, I am kind of itching a little bit.
“The feeling is
coming back, so we’ll what it holds here in a couple of weeks and who may need
a quarterback for a playoff run.”
He was also asked if
he thought about coaching.
“I thought about being
the offensive coordinator of the ‘Riders right now,” said Durant, who played
for the Roughriders from 2006 to 2016. “Of course, I have my differences with
Chris Jones, but I want to see the organization win no question about it.
“It seems that they
need some offensive help (with) the way the defence is playing and special
teams is scoring touchdowns. If we can score some offensive touchdowns, we have
a Grey Cup team.”
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| Darian Durant celebrates scoring a touchdown in 2016. |
His separation from
the Winnipeg side was a messy one as those associated with the Bombers howled
at the fact Durant kept a $70,000 signing bonus. The contract with the Bombers
expires in February of 2019.
Besides the serious
queries, Durant was asked questions that were more on the humourous side including
his thoughts on end zone dances, giving advice on who to start on a fantasy
football team and which Roughriders mom made the best cookies.
Durant said Karen
Newman, who is the mother of Durant’s former teammate and Hilltops alum Graig
Newman, made the best cookies.
“I’ll always
remember those cookies,” said Durant, who looked towards Karen Newman in giving
his response. “Thank you so much.”
The man who
quarterback the Roughriders to a 45-23 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in
the 2013 Grey Cup at Taylor Field was asked what he thought about social media.
“Some guys are just
outspoken,” said Durant, who was a reserve quarterback on the Roughriders 2007
Grey Cup championship team. “Some guys don’t know how to express themselves.
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| Darian Durant (#4) fires a pass down the seam in 2016. |
“I’ve been guilty of
that. I’ve been fined numerous times by the league for social media rants. It
can be good and bad.”
When he was asked to
do an impersonation of current Roughriders head coach and general manager Chris
Jones, Durant played that offer down.
“I think someone is
trying to get me in trouble here,” said Durant with a chuckle. “They probably have their phone recording what I am saying right now.”
Jones held his
current role during Durant’s final season with the Roughriders in 2016. Durant
offered up his thoughts on Jones, who has the Roughriders sitting second in the
West Division at 8-5.
“I think he is an
excellent coach,” said Durant. “The business side of things we just didn’t see
eye-to-eye.
“You just have to
respect that. He is in a position of power, and you have to respect your boss
and that is just how that went.”
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| Darian Durant (#4) throws a pass into the flat in 2016. |
During his 12 seasons in the CFL, he completed 2,500 out of 4001 passes for 31,740 yards, 167
touchdown passes and 115 interceptions.
Durant closed the
question and answer session saying he was pumped to have had the opportunity to
be the guest speaker that night for the dinner to help Saskatoon’s storied Canadian Junior
Football League club.
“I always enjoy
coming to Saskatoon,” said Durant. “The tradition here is just amazing.
“I’ve just been
hearing about the success that this Hilltops squad has been having over the
years. The commitment to excellence starts here. You guys pave the way for
these kids.
“You guys make it
possible. I just want to thank you guys for having me. Keep pushing these kids
to not only be the best on the field, but off the field as well.”
If you have any
comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them
to stankssports@gmail.com.
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