Maybe there’s some recency bias, but the heartache the Saskatchewan Roughriders felt in the aftermath of the Western Semi-Final loss seemed to resonate more than the euphoria of winning the Grey Cup a year ago.
“Deep in the gut, it just hurts, especially since I know we had the opportunity to do it,” said defensive back Tevaughn Campbell, who now must decide if his football career is over.
“We had the chance. We had the team. We had the guys.”
The Riders missed out on earning the first back-to-back CFL championships in franchise history when they were defeated 33-26 by the B.C. Lions on Saturday.
Veteran offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick was shown on TSN moments after the final play. It was obvious he was absolutely crushed.
“Because I had zero thought in my mind that we were losing that game,” Hardrick said. “I just didn’t see that happening there. I was just in disbelief. I’m still in disbelief. I was watching the highlights (Sunday) night and just not even believing it – like still in disbelief. I was just hurt.
“I didn’t want to go in the locker room. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to cry in front of everybody. I ran down by myself. I didn’t know anyone was there. It sucks they seen that.”
The end-of-year media avail Sunday took on a different mood than last November.
A year ago, Riders coach Corey Mace plopped the Grey Cup on the table before opening the floor to reporters. This time, there was no trophy to accompany him as he took questions.
“It’s unfortunate. You have such high expectations,” Mace said. “It sucks. It’ll always suck.”
Added linebacker Aubrey Miller Jr.: “The job didn’t get finished. There’s not too much you can elaborate on when it comes to a feeling like this. The biggest thing I think about is just next year.”
The Riders made it clear they’ll be using this early exit as motivation heading into the offseason.
At the top of the list when it comes to that mantra is Hardrick, the 36-year-old pending free agent. He made it clear he wants to return for another CFL season – and have that be with the Roughriders.
“The years where I’ve went home with the black bag, I’ve worked the hardest and I’ve lost the most sleep,” Hardrick said. “I hope it stings and I hope it does great things for us in the future.”
Saskatchewan is hosting the Grey Cup next season. The Riders would love nothing more to do what the 2015 team did and win the title on their home field.
That’s a long way away. They have Sunday’s result to stew over for a while longer first.
“I can tell you one thing; I hate losing more than I love winning,” linebacker Jameer Thurman said. “This hurts. I don’t like losing. It’s just a lot right now.”
