He helped bring the Grey Cup back to his hometown for the first time in three decades, but Andrew Harris is no longer a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The star running back signed with the Toronto Argonauts on Tuesday on the opening day of CFL free agency.
“It’s a sh—y part of the business,” said Bombers general manager Kyle Walters. “This situation has been the most challenging as a GM, unquestionably. We’re talking about a Hall of Fame running back, the face of our franchise. It’s impossible not to be saddened by it. It’s a terrible situation, currently.”
Harris played five seasons for his hometown club, winning a pair of Grey Cups.
“Respectfully, the best running back in the Canadian Football League,” Argos general manager Michael Clemons said in a media release. “Homegrown through junior football, he is not defined by his birth certificate but refined by our Canadian game. His will to win is only paralleled by his love of the game. Andrew is a gift, a game-changer.”
Harris was one of a number of now-former Bombers to find a new home on Tuesday.
The Edmonton Elks signed receiver Kenny Lawler and defensive lineman Tobi Antigha.
Nicknamed The Stove, defensive tackle Steven Richardson is now with the BC Lions.
The Alouettes inked defensive back Mike Jones who lost his starting job when Winston Rose returned late in the 2021 campaign.
Receiver Darvin Adams joined his former offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice with the Ottawa RedBlacks after six seasons with the Bombers.
While the Bombers don’t have much money to spend after already signing most of their key players prior to the start of free agency, they did add a veteran receiver to fill the hole left by the departures of Lawler and Adams.
The Bombers signed Greg Ellingson to a one-year contract after he spent the past two seasons in Edmonton.
The 33-year-old has five career 1,000-yard seasons, but his streak ended in 2021 when he finished the year with 687 yards receiving and one touchdown.
The five-time divisional all-star has also played for the RedBlacks and Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and was Ottawa’s Most Outstanding Player in 2017.
The signing reunites Ellingson with quarterback Zach Collaros after the two played together in Hamilton.
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