Katsantonis seeking CFL opportunity as Canadian safety

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This article was published 27/04/2020 (2310 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Stavros Katsantonis was a highly regarded prospect for the 2019 CFL Draft until fate intervened.

While attending a pre-draft combine last spring he tested positive for Ligandrol, a banned drug known to stimulate muscle growth.

Thirteen months later, the 23-year-old safety from Bakersfield, Calif., has served a suspension and is once again a candidate for the CFL draft. How high he goes in Thursday’s draft will depend in part on how believable CFL evaluators find his explanation for the failed drug test.

“That’s probably the biggest elephant in the room,” said Katsantonis via telephone Sunday. “It’s been addressed in the eight interviews I’ve already done. Most of the teams have just asked — they want to hear my story, what have I learned and what happened…

“Going back to the CFL combine last year, I had been drug tested, wasn’t aware of anything at that point. I was doing very well at the combine and did outstanding at my pro day and about a week before the draft was told that there was a positive drug test.”

Katsantonis asserted he had unknowingly taken a banned substance and explored options for proving his innocence. Ultimately, he accepted a four-year ban from U Sports and deferred his draft year until 2020. He is eligible to play in the CFL this season.

“In talking with the Canadian doping agency and the CFL, even if you can prove contamination or anything like that, they told me it’s in your body, you’ve got to suffer the consequences for that whether it was intentional or not intentional,” he said.

Katsantonis said he learned to be more careful with what he puts into his body. He has become wary of supplements with vague labelling.

“If a supplement says ‘proprietary blend’ on it, they don’t have to list what’s in that blend on the label,” said Katsantonis. “At then end of the day, it was just me not doing my due diligence and truly understanding everything that was on the label. I take full responsibility for that.”

“I can get everything I need from eating everyday foods. If I want to bulk up and pack on the creatine, all I’ve gotta do is eat some more red meat during the week… Don’t be lazy. All the supplement stuff is just a shortcut.”

Although he has taken a time-consuming path to the CFL, Katsantonis said he is fit and ready to compete for work. He has been a dual-citizen since he was very young because his father Jimmy Katsantonis, born and raised in Edmonton, wisely applied for his son’s Canadian citizenship.

Jimmy, a defensive back who played on the University of Calgary’s Vanier Cup winning squad in 1988, also promoted U Sports football as an option for Stavros when an NCAA Division I offer failed to materialize.

At UBC, he played field corner and boundary halfback during his freshman season. Then in 2016, with Taylor Loffler moving on to the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Katsantonis found a natural landing spot at safety, where he had spent most of his high school career in California.

He was a first team all-Canadian at safety for three consecutive years while also showing his versatility, playing every position in the secondary as well some work as a SAM linebacker for the UBC coaching staff.

In the CFL, he believes safety is probably his true calling. The Blue Bombers, who moved American Brandon Alexander to safety for a run to the Grey Cup but could be exploring the possibility of installing another Canadian starter at that position, are a potential landing spot.

Winnipeg’s first selection at Thursday’s draft comes at No. 18 overall.

There may be some doubt about Katsantonis’ size (he’s listed as 5-9 3/4 and 190 pounds) and recent inactivity. After all, he hasn’t seen game action since late 2018 but participated in an XFL tryout camp last June in Los Angeles and followed that up with an appearance at the College Gridiron Showcase in Dallas in January.

“There’s no question Stavros has been the best free safety in this country,” said UBC head coach Blake Nill. “He’s been first team all-Canadian the last three years. He’s not big. He’s not Taylor Loffler… he’s a finesse player who reads coverages well and the game’s built for him now.

“Ten years ago, when the free safety had to run up and fill run lanes, the game wasn’t built for Stavros. The run game is more east-west, not north-south.”

Katsantonis is not lacking confidence about his ability to make an impact at the pro level.

“The biggest thing is going to be the ratio at whatever team I go to and who’s playing what position,” he said. “I think I’ll be able to prove right away that whatever team I go to that they can feel comfortable starting a national at free safety. I think that’s where I’d like to play.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14