Longtime CFL receiver Andy Fantuz retires after 12-year career
HAMILTON — Watching Ricky Ray being carted off the field last month convinced Andy Fantuz it was time to call it a career.
The 34-year-old native of Chatham, Ont., retired Thursday after 12 CFL seasons with Saskatchewan and Hamilton. Coincidentally, Fantuz made the announcement prior to his former teams squaring off at Tim Hortons Field.
Ray, 38, suffered a neck injury in Toronto’s 41-7 home loss to Calgary on June 23. After Ray was sandwiched between two Stampeders defenders, play was halted 20 minutes as Ray received medical attention before leaving on a stretcher, his head immobilized, and taken to hospital.
“When Ricky went down, we (Fantuz and wife, Amanda) were already an inch away from saying, ‘We’re totally good with it,’” Fantuz told reporters at Tim Hortons Field. “We just looked at each other and we knew.