MONTREAL - A longtime respected voice in the Montreal Alouettes dressing room, Scott Flory will now put his leadership talents to work on behalf of all CFL players. Nike Air Max 2015 Homme France . The nine-time CFL all-star offensive lineman announced his retirement Wednesday after playing 15 seasons and winning three Grey Cups in Montreal. The move was largely expected after Flory became the new president of the CFL Players Association in late March. The Regina native suffered a season-ending biceps tear July 12 in a game against the Calgary Stampeders, though he was determined to return this season if he had not won his leadership bid. "It was a decision I made when I chose to run that I told myself that if I did win that I was going to retire," Flory said at an Olympic Stadium press conference. "It was a way for me to segue out of football from the playing side of it but still stay involved with the game and being around the guys and trying to represent them. "I was committed to coming back. I was training, I was doing everything, and I believe in this club and the direction that theyre going so I wanted to be a part of it." Flory felt that he could not do justice to either job by continuing to play while heading up the players union. "I didnt want to shortchange the players or the Alouettes by trying to do both jobs at the same time," Flory said. "Over my 15-year career I committed myself wholly to being the best football player I could be and I want to do the same in my new role as president of the players association." The 37-year-old is currently participating in talks with the league on a new collective bargaining agreement, though he declined to comment on any of those issues Wednesday. "Ive been a player rep since 2002 and sometimes there needs to be a guy who is the voice of the guys, and not everybody has the ability or the strength or the desire to talk to coaches or to deal with a lot of things that players have to deal with," Flory said. "It was something I liked and I cared about and I wanted to serve the guys ... and I was elected, and Im thankful for that. But over my time in Montreal I was always a part of the players association and I believe in the players and trying to represent them the best I can." Twice the CFLs top lineman (2008 and 2009), the six-foot-four, 296-pound Flory helped Montreal to Grey Cup victories in 2002, 2009 and 2010. "When people talk about how I was able to play for so long it was because of people like Scott that took pride in protecting the quarterback," said former Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who retired in January as pro footballs all-time passing leader with 79,816 yards. "They didnt get a lot of press, a lot of accolades, but in that locker-room when I could walk away from a game with not getting hit you could see a big smile on their face and they took a lot of pride in that, so they were able to do that for many, many years and that allowed me to play for a lot of years." Montreal selected Flory in the third round, 15th overall, in the 1998 CFL draft out of the University of Saskatchewan. He attended training camp before returning to the Huskies, helping them win the Vanier Cup that season. Alouettes tackle Josh Bourke acknowledged that losing both Calvillo and Flory to retirement will leave a leadership void in Montreal that needs to be filled. "It just means that were going to be missing two great leaders on our team, two great men," Bourke said. "Ive played a lot of football with Scott. Ive played a lot of games with him, pretty much every start Ive made in this league hes been on the field with me so Ive learned a lot the last seven years from him, how to be a man, most importantly, but how to be a great teammate, how to prepare, how to be a professional. "Guys like myself and other guys coming up the ranks, were the ones that have to kind of take over now but its going to be hard because hes been such a great leader for so long." Nike Free 5.0 Homme rouge.C. -- Al Jefferson is happy he didnt make the All-Star game. Nike Air Max 2015 Homme Pas Cher . The veteran cornerback agreed to a two-year contract with the Saints on Friday, with a maximum value that approaches $7 million, including guaranteed money and a signing bonus in the first year.Anthony Parker will be staying in Calgary while Josh Bell is joining the Stampeders. The Calgary Stampeders announced both moves on Wednesday. Parker played 17 regular season games with the Stampeders in 2013, setting career-highs in catches (21) and yards (217). Parker also scored the first two touchdowns of his CFL career. "Anthony made important strides in his development last season and we believe that the best is yet to come," said head coach John Hufnagel. "Even though he has already been with us for three years, Anthony is still only 24 years old and I look forward to watching his continued growth as a plaayer.Nike Free 5.0 Homme Blanc noir. ." Bell spent his first two CFL seasons with the B.C. Lions and after registering just five tackles in his rookie season, he totaled 49 tackles and one interception in 2013. "Joshua is a talented player with experience on both sides of the border who has established himself as a very good CFL player," said head coach and general manager John Hufnagel. "With the departure of several members of our secondary this off-season, he has an excellent opportunity to step in and play an important role with us this season." Bell played 13 games in the NFL before moving to the CFL. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '
