VANCOUVER — Now his former teammate but still his best friend, James Yurichuk said he still regards running back Jamall Lee as “a legend” at Bishop’s University and one of the most accomplished players to ever emerge from Canadian college football.

“Legend” isn’t a word normally associated with a young man still one month shy of his 25th birthday. But after a star-crossed three seasons with the B.C. Lions, Lee informed the CFL team that he is retiring from professional football for another passion — social work.

“It came as quite a shocker,” Yurichuk admitted Monday. “He’s such a young guy, but I can’t blame him for his decision. You see the damaging effects, read about it in the news, how dangerous a game football is. For someone to step away from the game early is big decision. He still hasn’t lost a bit of respect from me. I still have the highest respect for him. I’ll always remember him as one of the greatest players to ever play Canadian college football. And he goes out as a Grey Cup champion.”

The Lions traded up in the 2009 draft to select Lee third overall, then used the fourth overall pick to claim Yurichuk, a linebacker, also from Bishop’s. Lee, however, didn’t report to the Lions training camp that season. NFL teams were aware that the Quebec University Football League’s all-time leading rusher ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds — a CFL evaluation camp record — and his 44-inch vertical leap was further proof of Lee’s raw athletic ability.

Though already loaded at running back, the Carolina Panthers signed him as a high priority free agent. Lee lasted until the final cuts of the 2009 NFL pre-season before joining B.C.

“At this time last year, we had Andrew Harris, Jamall Lee and Jerome Messam,” said Lions general manager and vice-president of football operations Wally Buono. “We felt we had tremendous quality and depth (in Canadian running backs). Now we have quality but no depth.”

Harris remains the sole contributor left from the three-headed monster at Canadian running back Buono envisioned last year.

In June, Messam ran afoul of team rules at training camp and was dropped. He landed later in Edmonton, after his playing rights were traded to the Eskimos, and became the first Canadian in 23 years to lead the CFL in rushing. Previous to Messam, the last man to do it was Orville Lee, Jamall’s father. Messam appears to has moved on yet again after coming close to signing with the Miami Dolphins on the weekend.

“Out of sight, out of mind,” Buono said, when asked to comment on Messam’s NFL gambit.

As for Lee, his former head coach said he respects the player’s retirement decision and the way it was handled, even though Lee’s loss cuts into the Lions’ depth of non-import talent.

“I commended him for making such a mature decision at this time in his life,” Buono said.

“For a young man, it was not an easy one to make.

“I think, when we drafted him, Jamall physically was off the charts,” Buono added. “Unfortunately, injuries took their toll, physically, emotionally and psychologically. He battled through that all last year. His career as a pro hasn’t been easy (due to knee and ankle injuries).”

Lee not only appeared to drop a half step following knee surgery, he seemed to lose some zest for football, although Yurichuk maintains Lee was one of the Lions’ most effective players last year in a special teams role.

“You could tell, at some points last year, Jamall was playing hurt,” Yurichuk said. “Playing football is not a fun experience when you’re playing hurt. Instead of focusing on the game, you’re asking yourself, ‘Can I make it through this game?’ ”

Neither Jamall or Orville Lee, who found his post-career calling in social work, were available for comment. Orville Lee is president and co-founder of The Pathfinder Youth Centre in Surrey, B.C., which points homeless, disadvantaged and troubled youth toward developing education, job and social skills for more productive lives.

“Jamall’s passionate about bettering the community,” Yurichuk said. “I think he’s going to continue to positively impact the area in which he lives.”

Vancouver Sun

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