BCLions.com
VANCOUVER — The BC Lions are down a veteran receiver heading into the season, as Wally Buono confirmed Tuesday that Lavelle Hawkins has informed him of his intent to retire.
Hawkins, 29, joined the Lions last season and became a solid contributor in his first year with the team, building chemistry with Jonathon Jennings later in the year and becoming a go-to target on offence. Along with Nick Moore and Emmanuel Arceneaux he was slated to form a strong trio of veteran receivers.
“It is disappointing to have a player with his calibre, you know, I don’t want to say call it quits, but know that it’s time for him to move on,” said Head Coach and General Manager Buono.
Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Province is reporting Hawkins will return to his home in Stockton, Calif. to pursue a career after football as a firefighter.
“I’m not necessarily surprised,” Buono added during an availability Tuesday in Kamloops, B.C., where the Lions continue their second week of training camp. “For some of these guys money isn’t always the issue and for him it wasn’t, it was just a matter of whether he had the same passion or the same desire.”
Where one door closes, another one opens. Nationals Shawn Gore and Marco Iannuzzi round out a Lions’ receiving corps that’ll catch footballs from either Jennings or Travis Lulay, but one spot remains open for one of several internationals in camp competing for a spot.
One of the players who has put on a strong showing so far in camp is 25-year-old Kendrick Ings, a 5-foot-10 receiver who spent part of 2015 on the Detroit Lions’ practice roster. He was a high school sprint star and never played college football but is an early favourite to move into Hawkins’ spot on the roster.
Whoever takes it, Buono said the timing of Hawkins’ decision gives the Lions enough time to work with before they kick off the regular season on June 25 vs. Calgary.
“It’s early enough in the process or early enough in the season that hopefully with the candidates we have we can rebound,” said Buono. “You have to adapt and whether it’s an injury or a retirement you’ve got to still deal with it.”
Anyone looking to step into Hawkins’ spot will get a chance to make an impression on Saturday as the Lions start pre-season in Regina against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
