Darian Durant felt some type of way when Andy Fantuz decided to leave the Saskatchewan Roughriders and sign with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats during CFL free agency in February 2012.
“We didn’t talk for years. He’ll tell you, we didn’t talk for years. I was so pissed, it was years — I would say at least four years. Even after the Grey Cup, we played Hamilton in 2013, I didn’t say a word to him during the week,” Durant said on The SportsCage.
“He was my best friend. I’ve never told anyone this story, and it’s crazy, but I didn’t talk to Andy for years — I was that pissed off at him. When it happened, I was in my 20s, then as I got into my early 30s, I started understanding the business more.”
Fantuz signed a lucrative four-year contract with the Ticats reportedly worth $740,000 in hard money, which broke down to $185,000 per season plus an additional $5,000 for being named to the active roster in 14 regular-season games. The Chatham, Ont., native played his U Sports football at Western University for the Mustangs.
“When Andy left, I was pissed. I thought that what we started in 2006, we hadn’t accomplished a Grey Cup yet — we had lost twice. I felt like he was a guy I wanted to play with forever. He was one of my best friends personally. On the field, we had such good chemistry that I didn’t want to see him leave,” Durant said.
“I was looking at it from a selfish perspective, not understanding that being in Ontario, he was home, he has a family, they were going to pay him well. I was looking at things from a personal perspective. As I got older, more mature, and you see guys being able to get the type of money that they never thought they could get… guys are making strides in their personal careers.”
Durant and Fantuz won a CFL championship on the same team in 2007. The former was a backup QB behind Kerry Joseph, while the latter was a National pass catcher who recorded 56 receptions for 978 yards with seven touchdowns in 17 regular-season games. No. 83 added 16 catches for 263 yards with two majors in three postseason games, including a 29-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter during the 95th Grey Cup to help him earn the Most Valuable Canadian award after posting four grabs for 70 yards.
“Most guys want to be in situations where they’re happy. If Saskatchewan didn’t want to compensate some guys to where they felt like they deserved, then if another team does, you’re happy for them,” Durant said.
“Everyone has different goals. Sometimes it’s about playing time, sometimes it’s about money, but you’re always happy to see good friends of yours and good teammates get a pay raise, be able to take care of their families and be happy because that’s what it’s all about.”
Fantuz spent six seasons with Saskatchewan and six in Hamilton. The six-foot-four, 221-pound target registered 637 receptions for 8,363 yards with 44 touchdowns in 148 regular-season CFL games. He notched 76 catches for 992 yards plus six majors in 18 playoff games.
His best season came in 2010, with Durant throwing him the football.
That year, Fantuz produced a single-season career-high 1,380 receiving yards in 18 regular-season games. He averaged 15.9 yards per catch on 87 receptions and scored six touchdowns. For those efforts, the third overall pick in the 2006 CFL Draft earned the three-down league’s Most Outstanding Canadian award and reached all-star status.
“When I finally got out of my feelings, sat down and had a conversation with him, he explained to me what it meant to him to be back in Ontario by his family. Then I knew that Saskatchewan may not have wanted to compensate him in a way that Hamilton did,’ Durant said.
“Me looking at the situation, whatever deal [Brendan] Taman offered Andy, I thought was amazing. But after he told me what Hamilton gave him, it was a no-brainer. I got out of my feelings really quick. Ever since that falling out, we’ve always been in contact since then. I wish it never happened, but that’s the emotional part of the game.”
