Advertisement 1

GOOD GUYS SAY GOODBYE: Redblacks lose J.P. Bolduc and Danny Mason to retirement

"It definitely will be tough. But I can look back at my journey and know I had a great run."

Article content

The value of a football player can’t be measured by statistics alone.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

Having “good locker-room guys,” players who selflessly go about their business while earning the respect of those around them, has long been part of the culture the Ottawa Redblacks have tried to build. So, when Danny Mason and J.P. Bolduc decided to step away from football, it hurt the Redblacks. Both Mason, a defensive lineman, and Bolduc, a defensive back, checked all the boxes — humility, leadership, character … good players, good guys.

With the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out the Canadian Football League’s 2020 season and delaying the 2021 schedule, and, with an eye on the future, Mason and Bolduc found great off-field jobs. With CFL teams asking veterans to take pay cuts and with players getting prorated pay for 14 games instead of the normal 18, you can expect to hear about more retirements before training camps start in three weeks.

Article content
Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

“When Marcel (Desjardins, Redblacks general manager) spoke to my agent (this year), he was like, ‘We know what he can do when he’s healthy, but the reason we’re re-signing Danny is his character,'” Mason said. “That spoke volumes about the journey I’ve been on, representing my family the right way. I tip my hat to my mother and grandmother, who raised me, my sisters and brothers who grew up with me and the community where I came from. I just do my best to represent my family and my faith.”

It has been nearly two years since the 30-year-old Mason, a defensive lineman, played his last game for the Redblacks. In 2018, he had 27 defensive tackles, eight special-teams tackles, four quarterback sacks and forced a fumble. He also played arena football and spent time with the National Football League’s Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears. After getting cut by the Calgary Stampeders in 2018, he found a home with the Redblacks. A “lower-body” injury cut his time short in 2019, when he played just two games.

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

Living in Dallas, Mason found a job at SandersFit Performance Center under former NBA player Melvin Sanders. Several notable professional athletes work out and do rehab there.

“Things changed drastically (the past few months). It was more so going with the flow instead of trying to swim upstream,” Mason said. “With the start date of the season being in limbo, I started to buy into what I was doing with personal training. The next thing I know, (Tennessee Titans receiver) Julio Jones was walking into the gym. (Dallas Cowboys quarterback) Dak Prescott is doing rehab and off-season training here. The owner is mentoring me. He’s been in my shoes before. He was 32 when he retired.

“It was also about the money. I did the math what I would be making here and what I’d be making (playing for the Redblacks) from August to December. Seeing it on paper, it was a no-brainer when it came to the pros and the cons. I told myself it wasn’t a right or wrong decision, it was just a decision that needed to be made.”

Advertisement 5
Story continues below
Article content

It was a great journey for Mason, all the way from Shawnee High School in Louisville to Texas A&M-Commerce to professional football.

“I checked off a lot of boxes in my playing career,” he said. “I didn’t really cash in on a multi-million dollar deal, but it was the journey I appreciated more than anything, creating friendships and life-long relationships. You never how it’s going to turn out, but I feel like it turned out the way God intended it to for me.”

Defensive back J.P. Bolduc is sen here during an October 2018 practice with the Redblacks. He has new responsibilities in his off-field job with a Montreal lumber wholesaler.
Defensive back J.P. Bolduc is sen here during an October 2018 practice with the Redblacks. He has new responsibilities in his off-field job with a Montreal lumber wholesaler. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

The 29-year-old Bolduc had developed into one of the CFL’s best special-teams players, with 20 tackles in 2019. In 2018, the defensive back had 15 defensive tackles to go with 14 on special teams. Drafted by the Calgary Stampeders in the fifth round in 2016, he was released, but then picked up by the Redblacks.

Advertisement 6
Story continues below
Article content

He has settled into a job in Montreal, recently given more responsibilities at Boscus Canada, a lumber wholesaling business.

“Financially, the best decision for me was to stop playing football,” Bolduc said. “We have a condo in Montreal. I would have had to get an apartment in Ottawa — that’s a mortgage and a rent. It adds up pretty quickly during a shortened season. If I didn’t like what I was doing, it might have been different. But I love where I’m at right now. I’m 30, I’m fairly healthy. Why risk it and maybe tear an ACL or something like that? The best thing for me was to retire.”

Along the way, Bolduc exceeded even his own expectations.

“I never would have thought I’d have the kind of success in the CFL I had,” he said. “If you look back five years, I was drafted in the fifth round. I was super happy. But I was let go by Calgary three weeks later. I thought that was the end of my CFL career. Fortunately enough, I was picked up by Ottawa and I couldn’t have asked for a better team to be picked up by. It was the best fit for me. We had ups and downs. I won a Grey Cup (2016), then lost another one (2018). Some guys play 10 years and never win a  CFL championship. I was fortunate enough to be to the big game twice. I played, I started, I have my one and only interception ball in my office. I think I reached my ceiling. (In 2021) I may have had a lower role than I had before. All of that came together.

Advertisement 7
Story continues below
Article content

“Football has been a big part of my life. As a teenager, I was selling chips, peanuts and Cokes at Alouettes games. My dad had season tickets for many years. Then I played in the CFL. It’s not easy to say goodbye to football. But I’m in a better place to do it because I have a good job and a future set for me.”

Asked about leaving the Redblacks behind, Mason said: “It definitely will be tough. But I can look back at my journey and know I had a great run. If I could say anything, it would be: ‘RNation, thank you for the warm welcome and the memories. They always had my back through everything. I’m so grateful and blessed to be part of RNation.'”

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    News Near Tillsonburg
      This Week in Flyers