Casey Printers
He’s the CFL’s top coach, but Wally Buono is dishonest and silly, according to the uncleagent of his former star quarterback. And that quarterback, Casey Printers, would never play for Buono again.
“He wouldn’t even consider it,” Jason Medlock told me yesterday. “Caseydoesn’t care for Wally.”
Weird, huh? It was only two years ago when Printers emerged under Buono as the CFL’s premier player. Together, they led the B.C. Lions to the Grey Cup game against the Argonauts. Buono elected to start Dave Dickenson instead of Printers in that game, however, and it turns out the latter still has not forgiven the coach for what he perceived as a cold-hearted snub. Dickenson, who had missed most of the season with injuries, struggled against the Argos, and the Lions wound up losing. After the game, to thwart second-guessing, Buono said Printers couldn’t start because his throwing elbow was sore.
“That was a lie,” Medlock said as Buono prepared Dickenson and the Printers-less Lions for another Grey Cup date, this time with the Montreal Alouettes on Sunday in Winnipeg. “Wally’s a big liar. Casey wasn’t hurt any more that day than he was all season. So, when the Lions lost, Casey was really pissed. He took it personally.”
Fences weren’t exactly mended last Sunday, after Printers showed up to the Lions’ home dome three hours before the the Western final against Saskatchewan. Medlock said Printers took time from his practice-roster duties with the Kansas City Chiefs to handle promotional deals in Vancouver. Because Medlock also represents B.C. players Dante Marsh, Aaron Hunt and Carl Kidd, as well as the Roughriders’ Kenton Keith and Reggie Hunt, the agent and his nephew decided to drop by the stadium early and wish them well. Reports later on CBC’s telecastsuggested Printers was seeking attention and wished to stand on the B.C. sideline during the gamebut was banished to the stands so that he wouldn’t be a distraction.
“We heard Wally said that,” Medlock said. “Again, that was untrue. And it shows how silly Wally is. Casey never wanted to be on the sidelines. In fact, we planned to meet people at a restaurant during the game and watched most of it on TV. When the CBC guys came on at halftime (Sean Millington, Greg Frers and Khari Jones), they said Casey wanted to showcase himself. How ridiculous. Khari Jones is as bad on TV as he was in the CFL. “And why Wally wouldn’t want to welcome his former MVP with open arms made no sense to me, but, again, Wally’s silly.”
As a practice-roster player in the NFL, Printers is free to jump to another team at any time — and he knows the Argos are interested in him.
“Four CFL teams want Casey, including Toronto,” Medlock said. “Who knows where he’ll be next year?”
I know where he won’t be—B.C.
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