It’s been a long process for the Eskimos and their 2017 first round pick Nate Behar to arrive at the point that they reached on Thursday morning.
Nate Behar joined his teammates for practice on The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium after signing a two-year contract on the previous day.
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“I haven’t put a helmet on in God knows how long so that’s the first thing that feels great,” Behar said.
“I got to jump into some scout reps and run around against the first team defense which is always fun, chicken with its head cut off but it’s just fun. It’s fun to get to run around and feel the energy. Feel the energy of this team, feel the energy of the stadium. The coaching staff and how lively and boisterous they are.”
Behar was drafted fifth overall by the Eskimos on May 7 but a contract dispute resulted in the 22-year-old receiver from Carleton University not attending training camp.
Behar said he can easily separate the business side of football from his job on the field.
“Just being here, getting to be on the field, getting to be in the breakdown, and hearing the guys hoot and holler that brings you back to what you love.” he said.
“I’m not a businessman, I didn’t go to school for accounting, and I don’t crunch numbers so the fact I can forget about all that and catch footballs hopefully and block some people, that’s what makes me happy and I’m ready to go.”
Head coach Jason Maas kept Behar’s workload light on Thursday but said next week will much busier for the newest Eskimo. Maas said he’s happy to have Behar in the fold despite the contract squabble.
“He was drafted for a reason and in that spot in particular for a reason,” Maas said.
“We know he can play, it’s just a matter of him fitting in and getting acclimated to the playbook and getting good with the locker room. I’m not really worried about Nate at all and I think he’s going to do all those things I just spoke about.”
For now, it seems like there are no hard feelings between Behar and Eskimos general manager Brock Sunderland after a tough negotiation that resulted in Behar signing for the league minimum at $53,000.
It’s quite likely the two sides will try to renegotiate the contract in the off-season but for now Behar is trying to make the best of his situation.
“Hopefully when it’s all said and done green and gold will be a happy thought in my mind.”
The Eskimos will travel to Vancouver on Friday and play the B.C. Lions in their season-opener on Saturday. 630 CHED will have live coverage of the game starting with Countdown to Kick-off at 6:30pm; the opening kick-off from B.C. Place Stadium is at 8pm.