One of the greatest quarterbacks in Canadian Football League history has had enough.
Ricky Ray announced his retirement on Wednesday after a 16-year career in the CFL.
The news didn’t come as a surprise. Ray is 39 and suffered a season-ending neck injury in the Toronto Argonauts’ home opener last season.
While he didn’t end his career on a high note — like many suggested he should have done after leading the Argos to a remarkable Grey Cup championship in 2017 — Ray still goes down as one of the best to play the game.
That 2017 title put Ray in a class of his own, becoming the first and only starting QB to win the Grey Cup four times.
He is one of only four CFL quarterbacks to have thrown for over 60,000 career yards (60,736), is second in career passing percentage (68 per cent), third in completions (4,976), fourth in attempts (7,301) and fifth all-time with 324 touchdown passes.
Aside from the accolades and gaudy statistics, one of Ray’s best qualities was slowing the game down and making plays when it mattered most.
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Players, coaches and fans knew that when the game was on the line and Ray had the ball, he was going to make something happen.
The CFL may never again see another player like him, but that’s understandable because there can only be one Ricky Ray.