Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick needed help to get out of bed and to go to the washroom last winter, but he has bounced back well enough to earn the CFL West pick for this season’s most outstanding offensive lineman award.
“Last year, I got carted off the field,” the six-foot-four, 315-pound all-star said Wednesday. “The off-season was so mental. My wife (Samantha) and kids had to help me on the toilet, help me off the bed. For six weeks, my leg was locked down. I couldn’t put any pressure on it. I completely ruptured my quad.
“I had to regain range of motion and all that. And I’m a big guy. It was rough getting on and off the bed, in and out of the truck. My wife — one of my legs probably weighs more than her — and I couldn’t do anything with the leg. So, just playing this year was emotional for me. And it will be emotional to be back in the big show with a new team.”
Hardrick, 35, won two Grey Cups with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers before joining the Riders, who will face the Montreal Alouettes in this year’s championship on Sunday.
Hardrick credits his wife for getting him back in the game.
“My wife’s a superstar,” he said. “She holds this thing together. She runs with me in the off-season. She does workouts with me. She watches film. Obviously, she holds down me and the kids. She’s everything.”
Brandon Revenberg of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats is the East Division nominee in the outstanding offensive lineman category. The winner will be announced Thursday night.