As the Montreal Alouettes continue to soldier on through training camp towards finalizing
their 2012 roster.
I have been asked by
many passionate fans on why did they release Etienne Boulay? In life, once
anyone that reaches the professional ranks of your field it becomes a business.
No one is in control of their destiny unless otherwise.
In the case of Boulay,
he is arguably one of the most popular figures in the franchise's history since
they came back to the CFL in 1996.
There could be the
argument from some pundits that Boulay is too camera friendly, and that he is
seen at all the big events. For those who recall, the late great Gary Carter
never shied away from a camera. What everyone failed to realize Carter always had
time for the fans, and anyone he encountered throughout his great life.
The same can be applied
to Boulay. Not once have I seen him say no to a fan for an autograph. Win or
lose he always had time to converse with everyone in getting to know his
football admirers.
Beyond his football
skills, Boulay always had time for the community. For example, earlier in the
calendar year, my cohort, Matthew Ross was organizing a roundtable discussion
about the "Realities of Sport".
He was looking for an Alouettes player. The first name to come into my head was
Boulay. As soon as I sent him an invite, an immediate reply came my way to say
he was on-board, and how he was looking forward to coming on-air.
During that show,
Boulay impressed everyone about his knowledge on all subjects, he talked about
his tough injury tales of the 2011 season, and how he was looking forward to a fresh
start in 2012.
Boulay proudly
represented the Alouettes, the city, and province. If you don't believe the
impact he has, just view his Twitter feed and see that he has close to 13,000-plus followers.
After Boulay's release,
a bitter taste has been left in plenty of fan's mouth about management's decision to move on without him. But as usual in the
aftermath, Boulay was very classy in flashing his infectious smile in thanking
the organization that gave him an opportunity to realize his dreams by playing
for one of the best CFL organizations.
As Boulay moves onto
the next chapter of his playing career. He can most certainly be proud of the team accomplishments by going to numerous Grey Cups, and coming away with two
championship rings.
But beyond Boulay's
football achievements, he has become an ambassador for the next generation of Quebec football players to
aspire for by making their dreams come true through hard work.
It might be hard for
everyone to see Boulay in a different uniform, but most certainly the majority
of fans will continue to support one of the true professionals of this sport.
Follow me on Twitter @MoeKhan19
Listen to me every Sunday/Tuesday nights on Gamepoints, every Friday morning on The Midnight Snack, and various shows on TSN 990.
Photo credit: www.nationalpost.com
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