Simpson, Bombers declare wary truce

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/10/2009 (5842 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Wednesday’s development in the Barrin Simpson vs. the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Saga can hardly be categorized as a full-blown kiss-and-make-up deal.

No flowers and candy. No welcome-back hugs or tears of regret.

Oh sure, there were apologies and some considerable backtracking — all spit out between gritted teeth, it seemed. But it’s hard not to think this of this as a temporary peace treaty. This is a détente, plain and simple; a cease fire between two sides which in the last month have taken turns exchanging salvos.

This all began after a Labour Day loss to Saskatchewan in which the Bombers asked Simpson to take a reduced role in the defence. Simpson, as proud a player as any to pull on Bomber colours, balked and asked to be traded.

The Coles Notes of the rest of it goes something like this: Bombers place Simpson on one-game injured list… transfer him to nine-game injured list… Simpson files grievance with the league claiming he didn’t consent to that move… league sides — temporarily — with Simpson… team asks Simpson again if he’d play, he declines… some teammates complain of Simpson’s negativity and he’s asked to stay away… Simpson returns to work on Wednesday after meeting with head coach Mike Kelly and the team.

Crazy, right?

Actually, given the turbulence of 2009, nothing should surprise anyone in Bomberland.

All of which brought us to Wednesday and the sight of No. 5 manning the middle of the Bombers No. 1 defence. Afterward, Simpson met with the media and insisted there was no animosity and that the bridge between him and his teammates had not been torched.

Some highlights from the Simpson scrum:

“ö “You move on and you move past it. As far as me being here, nobody forced me to sign a contract. I’m a man of my word and my handwriting (he signed the contract). I’m obligated to the contract and so I come back to do the work.”

“ö Asked if he had rescinded his trade request, Simpson said: “Next question. I think that’s irrelevant right now. I’m here to do my job.”

“ö His take on Kelly’s comment he had quit on his team: “I don’t really think I need to respond to that. I was just called and told to be at work.”

Simpson did say he had recently visited his ailing father, who is battling diabetes, in Denver, and that helped give him a better perspective on things.

He also said he had no regrets about how this all unfolded.

“I’m not a person who holds any grudges about anything,” Simpson added.

“I’ve always respected the organization and respected the game… As you see, when I get back out here with all of my teammates you don’t see anybody at odds. Everybody knows who I am. That wasn’t an issue.”

In an attempt to make an educated call on this potentially highly toxic situation, Kelly said he consulted a number of people within the organization.

The coaching staff then addressed the team before practice at a meeting, after which they left and Simpson apologized. According to those in attendance, Simpson promised the team he was on board and that he would be happy to play any role the coaching staff asked of him.

But it’s hard not to connect the dots here: middle linebacker Joe Lobedahn did not practice on Wednesday due to a wonky hamstring and the Bombers have a showdown in Hamilton on Monday that could help determine second place in the division. And what better way to fill that hole than with an all-star veteran? The fact that he gets on the field before next Wednesday’s trade deadline may also be a component at play here.

“He did quit on the team,” said Kelly. “But what’s happened in the past is done. He told me this morning that he wants to play football under the guidelines of a football player, which means he listens to what the coaches say and we go from there. We’ve never, ever had any hostility in any of this.”

So, No. 5 is back — as unlikely as that seemed even two days ago. Question now is: for how long?

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca