Saskatchewan Roughriders’ offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick initially thought something was wrong when general manager Jeremy O’Day and head coach Corey Mace called him in for a meeting.
“I was walking up, and they were like, ‘Hey, we’ve got a meeting with you.” I walked in, J.O. walked down the hall and I sat with Mace. He was quiet there,” Hardrick recalled. “J.O. walked in and said, ‘Yoshi, I’m sorry it had to come to this.’ They both put their heads down, my lip started going there because I thought I was really in trouble, and he said, ‘Yeah, you’re the West Outstanding.’ We hugged each other, told him thank you, thanked him for everything and for believing in me after the injury.”
There was a good reason why Hardrick was worried about the meeting prior to knowing about the nomination.
“In 2015, I had that same meeting with J.O. It was my last meeting ever here. I’ve been cut seven, eight, nine times,” Hardrick said. “You never know, man. I still walk on eggshells. Yeah, I love this, I love football, man.”
This is the second time the six-foot-four, 315-pound offensive lineman has played with Saskatchewan. In 2015, he played eight games and then went to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 2016 through 2023.
While Hardrick is honoured to be the West Division’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, there are other goals on his mind.
“I don’t care about any award I get, if we win the Grey Cup — that’s a major award. That’s the goal. We all want to get something. We’re all in this together,” Hardrick said. “We need everyone. We need the fans. We’re in this thing together. We’re green. You’re with the green or you’re not.”
It’s the second time Hardrick has been nominated for the MOOL award, the first was in 2023 when he was with the Bombers.
“It means a lot, a lot of work went into it, I didn’t do it alone. It means a lot for me personally, but for the team it means nothing,” Hardrick said. “Let’s go get this team goal, but on a personal level, it means a lot. Coming off an injury, getting back there, didn’t do it alone, the guys beside me, the coaches, the strength staff, everyone. It means a lot in the grand scheme of things, but team thing, it means nothing.”
Last year, Hardrick only played five games for Saskatchewan due to a season-ending quad injury suffered in Week 6 against the B.C. Lions. His family was understandably excited about the individual award news.
“My daughters are emotional, but it was good to see. They’re excited, talking about getting all dolled up,” Hardrick explained. “My wife is my biggest supporter, my best friend, and I promise you I wouldn’t be here without her.”
When it comes to Hardrick’s teammates, franchise quarterback Trevor Harris is not surprised by Hardrick’s accomplishment.
“He’s been great for us in terms of energy, in terms of effort, attitude, and the consistency he brings. I couldn’t be happier for him because I know what he went through last year in terms of rehab and getting back,” Harris said. “There are a lot of days where you never know if you’re going to be the same. Even talking to him early in camp, he was asking me about the year prior because I came back from the tibial plateau, how it feels day one versus day five, and when do you feel like yourself. I think he feels like himself.”
The sentiments are the same for Mace when he was asked about Hardrick’s nomination.
“I think everybody in the league knows how good he can be, how good he is. I’m so proud of him for how things ended for him last year, the work that he put in to get back on the field and the way he’s been playing this year hasn’t gone unnoticed,” Mace explained. “A lot of really good offensive linemen in the league, truthfully, on our team, but Yoshi’s been playing on a different clip.”
The Riders await the winner between the Calgary Stampeders and B.C. Lions on Saturday to find out who the Green and White take on in the West Final on Saturday, November 8 at Mosaic Stadium.
