Article content continued

In both cases, the Roughriders saw fit to sever ties with a player who was noted more for his actions than his words — an American-born star who had made Regina his year-round home.

Chick was so devastated by the salary-related sacking that, for one of the very few times in his career, he was outspoken. He told the Regina Leader-Post’s Murray McCormick in August of 2016 that the release “wasn’t cordially done.”

“There are definitely cordial ways to do things,” Chick said. “Whether I’m 33 or 40, one of these days, someone’s going to say, ‘Hey, you’ve had enough.’ I might not agree with him or whatever, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to handle things.

“It’s not just the one case. There were a lot of things.”

As it turned out, nobody tapped Chick on the shoulder and said he was done. The decision was entirely his, and now it is on to the next chapter.

He played the game, and at such a high level, in the same manner.

After registering a sack, it was on to the next play.

Every play, regardless of whether it was in a pre-season game or the Grey Cup, was a matter of pride for Chick.

A relentless motor was among his many on-field attributes. Anyone who lined up opposite him was destined to experience a long, exhausting day.

And the bigger the game, the better Chick played.

Chick registered two sacks in each of the Roughriders’ last two Grey Cup victories, those of 2007 and 2013.

His showing in 2007 was a breakout performance. By 2013, he was an established star, someone who returned from the NFL that year and ultimately shared in a celebration of a home-field championship-game victory.