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Said Wylie: “I just said, ‘If you show up and work hard, we’ll be all right.’ I could understand that for so many years he was in football and was so familiar with it so to make this kind of switch is big, it can be traumatic. But he has pride in the work he does. You could see in how he reacted to challenges that it was sports-related. He didn’t look at setbacks as failure — it was OK, another hurdle, work at it.

“That’s an incredible asset for a young cook. For a lot of them, every mistake, they beat themselves up.”

Challenges and obstacles are nothing new to Walker, who bounced from Hamilton to Ottawa to Winnipeg to a Saskatchewan mini-camp.

In 2012, Walker burst on to the scene, carrying the ball 118 times for 656 yards. It seemed to signal a bright future. But in 2013, his work load was diminished and he was left unprotected in the expansion draft, grabbed by the Redblacks. It was a fresh start.

In 2014, he scored four touchdowns — with 101 carries for 458 yards and another 22 receptions for 231 yards. He broke his left arm after being drilled in a game against B.C. in September.

Photo by Codie McLachlan / Postmedia

In 2015, he had 287 yards rushing on 78 carries in Ottawa. On Aug. 28, he was released, told by the Redblacks they were going to go with Jeremiah Johnson as their starting running back. Just like that, Walker was again out of a job.

“They told me Jeremiah was a better fit,” said Walker. “The said, ‘We don’t feel like you’re doing the things we need you to do.’

“It was a little shocking. I know it’s a business, I can’t take it personally. I guess it was what they had to do to be successful. And as you can see, they’ve had success for two years. (GM) Marcel (Desjardins) is a great guy, he did what he had to do. It’s a ‘What can you do for me now business.’ One day you have a job, sometimes the next day you don’t. I have nothing against Ottawa. I still love those guys.”