Hansen spends offseason working on humanitarian missions

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This article was published 20/06/2022 (1175 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Thiadric Hansen was coaching a local football team in Poland only a week ago, yet there he was on the practice field Monday, working out with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the first time since the 2021 Grey Cup.

Hansen, 29, inked a two-year deal with the Bombers on Saturday to return to the only Canadian team he’s known in his two-year career.

His long-awaited signing came three weeks after the CFL and CFLPA ratified a new collective bargaining agreement, which now allows global players to get a raise each year like their national (Canadian) and American counterparts.

The defensive lineman and special teams ace didn’t re-sign with the Bombers following a consecutive Grey Cup run, holding out for a new CBA and money than the old agreement permitted for global players — $10,000 less than the league-minimum salary.

Hansen, a little more than 12 hours removed from landing in Winnipeg early Monday morning, was still riding high off rejoining his teammates while he recollected his experience from an extended offseason.

“It was hard, especially when training camp started,” he says. “You really start missing the guys. There was also the uncertainty because I want to play football here, in Canada, at the highest level possible.”

While Hansen waited for the league and the CFLPA to hammer out a new deal, he never wavered in his desire to don the blue and gold again.

“This is the place I wanted to be from the beginning. I love the place. I love the energy here,” he says.

Hansen landed in Winnipeg at 1 a.m. Monday before going straight to sleep. His rest was short-lived, however, as he was up at 4 a.m. for a medical test, a process he laughed about.

“I was just pumped,” he says. “My blood pressure was high already, I was ready to go. I just have to fight through the first two days so the jet-lag doesn’t catch up.”

While tough to tell based on his physique, Hansen admits he’s a little out of shape.

“I’ll get my feet under me. It takes a week to get back in (football shape). It takes a bit longer as I get older.”

It didn’t take long for head coach Mike O’Shea to notice his third-year global standout had returned to the team.

“He got off the ball today and I went ‘Oh, well, there he is, he’s back,’” O’Shea says.

“He’s a very good player for us. He’s a terrific fit. The guys were so excited to see him back.”

O’Shea didn’t hold back when highlighting what Hansen being back means to the team.

“When guys show up and everyone recognizes that extreme work ethic, it’s pretty easy to like a guy. And then when you get to know him, he’s a very easy-going, good-natured person.”

But it’s Hansen’s receptiveness to help from other players that has stuck with his coach.

“It’s not just his ability to work hard, (it’s his) ability to listen and take instruction from peers, and now it’s his turn to pass that along,” O’Shea says.

O’Shea says he doesn’t know if Hansen will be available for this week’s tilt versus the Hamilton Tiger Cats.

Hansen’s tumultuous offseason continued outside of football.

He was one of the leaders in an initiative that helped Ukrainian refugees escape the embattled European country from Russian forces in March.

Hansen and a friend of his younger sister, who had already organized previous humanitarian initiatives, organized bus rides for nearly 70 fleeing Ukrainians to shelters in Hamburg, Germany.

Hansen oversaw several international students, such as those from Nigeria, who faced passport and documentation issues when trying to leave the country.

“It was very stressful to organize, but in the end it was worth it,” he says.

Now back to work for the Blue and Gold, Hansen says he’s focused on earning more playing time on defence while making an impact on all special teams.

He’s also noticed the game has slowed down for him, leaving more opportunity for him to step forward as a leader, despite normally being quieter in the locker room.

“My goal right now is earning my way back onto this team,” he says.

“I’m just happy it all worked out.”

Twitter:@jfreysam