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Robbie Lowes was scrolling through social media Thursday when he saw the news his football career was over.
“I still haven’t really processed it yet,” said the University of Regina Rams linebacker, who would have been entering his fifth season of U Sports eligibility in 2020.
U Sports has ruled it will not provide an exemption for players who will turn 25 years old prior to the 2021 season, even though they’re missing the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19. Football is the only Canadian university sport that has an age cap.
In an emailed statement, U Sports said: “While U Sports and its Board of Directors are certainly sympathetic towards those student-athletes who will exceed the age cap prior to the 2021 football season, the rationale of health and safety was ultimately determined to be too important of a factor to provide an exemption.”
Lowes first heard the news when he saw a tweet from TSN’s Farhan Lalji.
“I had to read it over three (or) four times,” Lowes said. “I just didn’t want to believe it. I put in all this hard work.
“It’s not just me, but there’s other fifth-year guys on our team and all across the nation. It has been a devastating year just to lose this season but for me personally, to know I’ll never put on the horns again, it’s a tough pill to swallow.”
He said he sent a screenshot of the tweet to Rams head coach Mark McConkey, who then got confirmation from U of R athletic director Lisa Robertson.
“(McConkey) called me and he called all the other fifth-year guys and he said he’s there for us,” Lowes said.
Lowes, receiver Sam Mike, quarterback Colton Hippe, linebacker Cody Peters, receiver Kyler Mosley and defensive lineman Cameron Cross are the Rams players affected by the ruling.
“These guys are some of the hardest-working guys on the team and I have the utmost respect for them,” Lowes said. “My heart breaks for them too, probably more so than even me. All these guys, they deserve to get that extra year and go out on their own terms. It’s heartbreaking.”
U Sports interim CEO Dick White said he feels compassion towards the players who are affected by the rule.
“Our decision was made by the board of directors and the board of directors very much worked with a legal opinion that we were provided that if we made an exception to the rule, it could undermine the rule entirely and remove the age cap entirely,” White said.
White said when the football technical sub-committee voted to make an exception, it was done without a legal opinion.
Lowes doesn’t expect people are going to just accept this ruling.
“I don’t know whether anything’s going to change. I already know there’s a petition going, (possibly) potential legal action but I wouldn’t be surprised,” Lowes said.
“It’s not just the players, it’s the teams. It ‘s not just five or six guys from the (University of Saskatchewan) Huskies or the Rams, it’s the teams; these fifth-year guys are the heart and soul of the teams and it’s supposed to be the best year … You play for those fifth-year guys.”
White said U Sports is not itching for a fight when it comes to this.
“If it’s challenged and it gets another review, I don’t hate that,” White said. “I would respect the ruling of the court just like I respect the amount of time and study that our board put into this before they made that decision. They did not make it lightly.”