Published Aug 12, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n Mike Benson knew something was up the moment Mike O\u2019Shea called him aside on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive columns by Ryan Stelter, Paul Friesen, Ted Wyman, Scott Billeck, Lorrie Goldstein, Warren Kinsella and others. 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Plus newsletters: Gimme Stelter for your beat on the city, The Exit Row for all your Jets news and On the Rocks for curling.Unlimited online access to Winnipeg Sun and 15 news sites with one account.Winnipeg Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Most players were already in their group meetings, with Benson about to join them, when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach approached him.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cYou can tell,\u201d the veteran long snapper told the Winnipeg Sun later in the day. \u201cI\u2019ve seen enough players let go in my time, that you kind of know. You can feel the energy before words are even said.\u201d<\/p>\n After a dozen CFL seasons, the last four-and-a-half playing in his hometown, Benson was getting the pink slip.<\/p>\n The 38-year-old had worked his way back from a hip\/hamstring injury he suffered in the season-opener and was ready to play again the last week or two.<\/p>\n But Ian Leroux, 12 years younger, had taken his job \u2013 and done it well.<\/p>\n That wasn\u2019t the only factor at play.<\/p>\n Players with Benson\u2019s experience have their salaries guaranteed at a certain point in the season. It\u2019s one of the few guarantees CFLers have in their collective bargaining agreement.<\/p>\n The Winnipeg Sun’s Daily Headline News<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n With Winnipeg\u2019s ninth game coming on Thursday against Ottawa, it sounds like Bombers management waited until the last possible moment.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a tough one,\u201d Benson acknowledged. \u201cI think it was at the end of the day (Tuesday). I think the rule is 48 hours before your ninth game. It\u2019s somebody\u2019s job to know those rules. And that\u2019s why it was in my head going into this week. I\u2019m not naive.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a super bittersweet moment.\u201d<\/p>\n So Benson started his day with a job and a regular paycheque, and ended it without either.<\/p>\n \u201cThat part stings,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause there is no severance in professional sports.\u201d<\/p>\n There was no real chance to say a proper goodbye, either. Teammates returned from meetings to find an empty locker at one end of the room, next to the other members of the kicking \u201coperation,\u201d as they call it.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cThat was my guy,\u201d one rookie said in disbelief.<\/p>\n Welcome to pro football. Great game, crappy business.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not as bad when you already see something coming,\u201d Benson said. \u201cBut at the end of the day you\u2019re leaving work the last time from some of your best friends. Coaches and peers. So it\u2019s tough. It\u2019s really tough. My reaction probably wouldn\u2019t have been the same 10 years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cThere would have been a lot more bitterness, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, the product of St. Paul\u2019s High School realizes how lucky he was to get a chance to play as long as he has, including this unforgettable stint with his hometown team.<\/p>\n Benson\u2019s first three squads, Edmonton, B.C. and Ottawa, never reached the Grey Cup.<\/p>\n He came to Winnipeg in 2021 and got there four straight years, winning the first \u2013 the same year he had his son, Wilder.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been an incredible journey here,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m looking at what Winnipeg gave me and what football gave me, and I\u2019m eternally grateful for the experience. To be able to bring my family to the games, to bring my son on the field. There\u2019s a lot of people that wish they could do that and they\u2019ll never get the chance.<\/p>\n \u201cYou play nine years or so never even getting a sniff of the Grey Cup. And then you play the last four years going to them. It\u2019s been a surreal experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Another thing Benson is grateful for: He\u2019s learned more from O\u2019Shea than any other coach.<\/p>\n He could tell how hard it was for his coach to deliver Tuesday\u2019s news.<\/p>\n \u201cHe played. He gets it. But I respect him coming to talk to me face-to-face, because not a lot of coaches can do that. And being able to thank him\u2026 I\u2019m grateful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Coaches often call it the worst part of their job.<\/p>\n \u201cNot easy,\u201d O\u2019Shea said. \u201cMike\u2019s a pro. Very rarely in this business or any pro sport business do you call the shot\u2026 you\u2019re not calling it on your own terms. Everybody wants to play more.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sure (it was) harder on him.\u201d<\/p>\n Their talk ended with a handshake and a hug.<\/p>\n Benson hopes they meet again \u2013 as opponents.<\/p>\n While the bad news was still fresh and he hadn\u2019t even digested it all yet, he knew one thing by the end of the day.<\/p>\n \u201cCall me a cowboy, but I want to go out swinging. I want to go out guns-a-blazing. I want to play. That\u2019s what I love to do, and I can still do it. I worked this hard to get in incredible shape this year, and I\u2019m not going to let it waste.<\/p>\n \u201cIf a team needs someone to come and step in, I\u2019m going to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s how it all started in Winnipeg four years ago, a move that produced friendships that\u2019ll last a lifetime.<\/p>\n In true Mike Benson fashion, he was planning to send one last group text to his teammates.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you ever need anything,\u201d he\u2019d tell them. \u201cI\u2019ll be around.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Winnipeg](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Mike-Benson-Aug-13.jpg\")
Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker Sergio Castillo (14) and teammate Mike Benson (40) show their disappointment after losing the 111th Grey Cup to the Toronto Argonauts, in Vancouver in 2024 THE CANADIAN PRESS FILEArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Winnipeg](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.2.5\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-wsun-new.svg\"){kind=logo}
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