Saskatchewan Roughriders legend Darian Durant knew the struggles of travelling early on in his Canadian Football League career.
"It was my first trip to Toronto. We couldn't leave after the game because there were no flights coming into Regina. Then, when we wake up at five in the morning, we now have to fly to Edmonton first and then back to Regina," Durant told SportsCage host Barney Shynkaruk.
"I'm like, 'Is this what travelling is going to be like?' That was crazy. It's like a four-and-a-half-hour flight all the way to Edmonton. We've been to Calgary a couple of times. It's bad going to Calgary, too, but at least it's a shorter flight. It's a little bit better airport, in my opinion. Going all the way up to Edmonton and then back down to Regina, it was bad."
Durant explained how CFL teams used to fly with the general public and what advantages veterans had over rookies.
"You have regular people on there, and they would have all the middle seats because when the team booked the flight, they would book all the aisles and windows," Durant recalled.
"If anyone else had to get on the flight, they had middle seats. As soon as a veteran had someone in their middle seat, they whistled and snapped. 'Hey, rookie, come, come sit here. Take a seat.' Four and a half-hour flight, man. There's no way a veteran was going to sit beside someone in the middle. That was like the rookie hazing at the same time."
Durant reflected on his time in the CFL and dietary problems which resulted in depending on fast food options.
"When I was in college, of course, they took care of you. We had training tables, they had everything laid out from your green light foods, to your yellow, to your red, which are foods you shouldn't eat. Coming into the CFL, now you're on your own. I'm making minimum wage, you have to convert that back to U.S. dollars, so I'm not seeing a lot of money. So a Toonie Tuesday, or a McDonald's, or a Burger King, or something like that was the cheapest meal. Guys had to survive any way they could," Durant said.
"Nowadays, these guys are in so much luxury now. This happened towards the end of my career in Saskatchewan, when we started having chefs and meals prepped for you, breakfast and lunch. They made sure that nutrition was more of a thing."
Overall, Durant is happy with how CFL teams now treat their players compared to when he first came into the league.
"I could smile. I feel like I played a big role in that, especially in Saskatchewan," Durant said. "With the facilities, the success we had during my era, it opened up the doors. The private planes, the charter flights, everything that they get, happy to be a part of the change, the shift of culture and allow the guys to enjoy this type of life."
