The Sad Story of Janzen Jackson

When I first heard the news that Janzen Jackson was charged with murder I was shocked. The former Tennessee Volunteer had a past, and like many CFL clubs, the Argos were willing to give him a chance. What is surprising is that he has been held in jail since September 2013 and the story of Jackson’s arrest was buried in the media for so long until now. The more I look into this story, the more I have realized that his release was rather odd and unusual.

Janzen was listed as the starter on the depth chart for the game on August 19, 2013 but was released on the morning of gameday. He had played in 5 games and showed a lot of promise. In his first game vs BC, he blocked a punt and was featured on Argos TV.

 

At the time of his release, I believe every fan in the know knew that something must have up since a starter just doesn’t get released in a span on 24 hours without incident. The Argos were silent at the time with Barker avoiding to give the real reason. The move was cited as “football reasons” and Barker commented “the first 6-8 weeks of the CFL season is devoted to finding players that fit for us and what we do…you will see players come and go rather often…we are not afraid to make moves once we feel a player is not a fit“. Barker then again refused to comment to another question related to the release of Jackson.

3 weeks after his release, if proven guilty, it seems that Jackson had murdered his mother’s boyfriend. If he hadn’t been released would have this happened at a later date or did the release cause him to act strange? This is where the story begins to get a little murky. When Jackson was released, he moved in with his mother who claimed that he was acting strange and talking to himself. She wanted him to get assessed by mental health workers and this was in August, the same month he was released. Now I have to ask the question – Were the Argos aware of his strange behaviour which prompted his release? Or did the release from Toronto cause a downward spiral? If the Argos were aware (there is no proof that they were) then did they push the issue under the rug by just outright releasing him? Did they seek help from mental health professionals? Or was it really just a football move?

I believe that is not a football decision since he was playing well. If this a “major” sport then the media would be all over this story but because its the Argos, the Toronto media probably aren’t even aware of the information surrounding his release plus the timing of the murder. I would hope if the Argos ever saw a player acting strange, that they would take the necessarily means to help that player out instead of wiping their hands clean but one thing is certain – we will never know unless someone with insider information speaks. Jim Barker never discusses moves in detail and is sometimes annoyed by the questions asked. Lately I have found the Argos be rather secretive so like I said, the fans will never know what transpired in August of 2013.

Former NFLer Underwood taking shot with Argos | Argonauts | Sports | Toronto Sun

Former NFLer Underwood taking shot with Argos | Argonauts | Sports | Toronto Sun.

Argos sign Steve Slaton

The Toronto Argonauts have announced the signing of former NFL runningback, Steve Slaton. The former West Virigina star had 4 successive 1,000+ rushing yard seasons, 3 with the Mountaineers and 1 as a rookie with the Houston Texans but has struggled since his 2008 rookie season. After losing out on short yardage situations, he was eventually benched, replaced, and released after a bad case of fumblitis. He last played in 2011 with the Miami Dolphins running the ball 17 times for 64 yards.

Slaton has had success in the past and his performance has taken a dip over the years but bringing him to camp is a no risk move. He’ll provide competition to the current group of backs they have and may bounce back to his 2008 form. But does this signing mean that Kackert’s injury isn’t progressing as well as expected. Kackert broke his leg pretty bad just before the Eastern Final on the Rogers Centre turf, and had just came back from a shoulder injury. I’m not convinced that Kackert’s days as an Argo are coming to an end but the Argos do need a plan B just in case Kackert won’t be ready. The battle for that #2 RB spot may be between Jarious Norwood, Curtis Steele and Steve Slaton.

Here is a video of Slaton from the 2008 season, before he contracted fumblitis….

Argos wins Strikeout Cancer Challenge at Burlington Bowl

Argos wins Strikeout Cancer Challenge at Burlington Bowl.

Argos Sign Natey Adjei

Last week the Toronto Argonauts have signed former UBuff speedster, Natey Adjei who has selected 22nd in the 2013 draft. It was no surprise that he would eventually sign, since he had no real chance of making an NFL team.

After two successful years playing at the City College of San Francisco, he transferred to Buffalo where he only featured on kickoff coverage and had one carry in 2012 vs UMass. No one seems to know whether or not he was injured or just wasn’t seen as a starter but Adjei has no stats to report from his Senior season in 2013 but there is plenty of highlights from practice.

There is not much information out there on Adjei other than he is a local boy from Mississauga, where he attended and played for the St.Marcellinus Spirit. He has speed no doubt so it’ll be interesting to see how he does in both Rookie and Training Camp.

The Argos are known to have gone with speedsters in the past with the no risk signing of the injured Andre Durie and more recently with the drafting of players like Steven “Afterburner” Turner and Quincy Hurst who both ended their Argonaut career due to injuries. Here’s hoping Adjei turns out more like Durie rather than Hurst or Turner, who was last seen playing flag football in the Mississauga area.

Here is the Adjei highlight tape from practice at UBuff……