MONTREAL - A longtime respected voice in the Montreal Alouet

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MONTREAL - A longtime respected voice in the Montreal Alouettes dressing room, Scott Flory will now put his leadership talents to work on behalf of all CFL players. The nine-time CFL all-star offensive lineman announced his retirement Wednesday after playing 15 seasons and winning three Grey Cups in Montreal. The move was largely expected after Flory became the new president of the CFL Players Association in late March. The Regina native suffered a season-ending biceps tear July 12 in a game against the Calgary Stampeders, though he was determined to return this season if he had not won his leadership bid. "It was a decision I made when I chose to run that I told myself that if I did win that I was going to retire," Flory said at an Olympic Stadium press conference. "It was a way for me to segue out of football from the playing side of it but still stay involved with the game and being around the guys and trying to represent them. "I was committed to coming back. I was training, I was doing everything, and I believe in this club and the direction that theyre going so I wanted to be a part of it." Flory felt that he could not do justice to either job by continuing to play while heading up the players union. "I didnt want to shortchange the players or the Alouettes by trying to do both jobs at the same time," Flory said. "Over my 15-year career I committed myself wholly to being the best football player I could be and I want to do the same in my new role as president of the players association." The 37-year-old is currently participating in talks with the league on a new collective bargaining agreement, though he declined to comment on any of those issues Wednesday. "Ive been a player rep since 2002 and sometimes there needs to be a guy who is the voice of the guys, and not everybody has the ability or the strength or the desire to talk to coaches or to deal with a lot of things that players have to deal with," Flory said. "It was something I liked and I cared about and I wanted to serve the guys ... and I was elected, and Im thankful for that. But over my time in Montreal I was always a part of the players association and I believe in the players and trying to represent them the best I can." Twice the CFLs top lineman (2008 and 2009), the six-foot-four, 296-pound Flory helped Montreal to Grey Cup victories in 2002, 2009 and 2010. "When people talk about how I was able to play for so long it was because of people like Scott that took pride in protecting the quarterback," said former Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo, who retired in January as pro footballs all-time passing leader with 79,816 yards. "They didnt get a lot of press, a lot of accolades, but in that locker-room when I could walk away from a game with not getting hit you could see a big smile on their face and they took a lot of pride in that, so they were able to do that for many, many years and that allowed me to play for a lot of years." Montreal selected Flory in the third round, 15th overall, in the 1998 CFL draft out of the University of Saskatchewan. He attended training camp before returning to the Huskies, helping them win the Vanier Cup that season. Alouettes tackle Josh Bourke acknowledged that losing both Calvillo and Flory to retirement will leave a leadership void in Montreal that needs to be filled. "It just means that were going to be missing two great leaders on our team, two great men," Bourke said. "Ive played a lot of football with Scott. Ive played a lot of games with him, pretty much every start Ive made in this league hes been on the field with me so Ive learned a lot the last seven years from him, how to be a man, most importantly, but how to be a great teammate, how to prepare, how to be a professional. "Guys like myself and other guys coming up the ranks, were the ones that have to kind of take over now but its going to be hard because hes been such a great leader for so long." Blank France Jerseys . Jim Leyland, in his eighth playoffs, has never had a starting rotation he trusts as much as the grouping of Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and Doug Fister. Kylian Mbappe Jersey . -- Phil Mickelson came to the St. http://www.nationalfrancesoccer.com/ous ... ce-jersey/. The club was unable to retain hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, who is bound for Atlanta. Seitzer replaces Greg Walker, who was assisted by Scott Fletcher this season as the Braves finished 79-83. Antoine Griezmann France Jersey . Huntelaar also had a penalty saved by Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio. The two goals brought Huntelaars total for the season to 18, level with Bayern Munichs Mario Gomez for most in the league. Paul Pogba France Jersey . CSKA received the heavier punishment of playing its next European home game behind closed doors, after its supporters displayed racist and far-right symbols in the Czech Republic during a 2-1 loss to Viktoria Plzen on Dec.TSNs Jack Armstrong offers his thoughts on the wealth of Canadian talent in NCAA, the Wizards acquisition of Andre Miller, the skills of Spencer Hawes, the transition of Glen Davis to the Clippers and the upside of Evan Turner in Indiana. 1. CANADIAN PLAYERS: Take a look at just a few of the up-and-comers like Andrew Wiggins (Kansas), Tyler Ennis (Syracuse), Nik Stauskas (Michigan), Melvin Ejim (Iowa St.), Kevin Pangos (Gonzaga) and Brady Heslip (Baylor) and its quite impressive to see how the continued growth of the sport is so amazing to watch before our eyes. The amount of young people playing the sport at a high level is growing and it will only get better. The success stories keep coming at you from so many different directions. Great time to be a hoops fan. 2. ANDRE MILLER (Wizards): Like this pickup for them. I know conditioning will be a factor for a while but theyve been quite inconsistent when theyve gone to their bench and he will provide stable/steady play and leadership for them. He knows how to run a team and get teammates quality shots. His experience and savvy will help provide direction for a team that goes through nightly droughts of attention to detail and productivity. You never have enough veteran know-how and this team desperately lacked it. 3. SPENCER HAWES (Cavs): Will be difficult for them to capture the eighth seed in the East yet they improved their chances by picking him up. Low maintenance guy who has a great knack for making the right plays. Good shooter with outstanding passing skills in both the high and low post and helll compete for you on the boards.dddddddddddd Has really developed over the years into a nice secondary piece in a starting lineup. His skill and know-how will help the chemistry of this young team. 4. GLEN DAVIS (Clippers): This move had head coach Doc Rivers written all over it. Obviously, he coached Big Baby in Boston and knows his pros and cons and feels he can be a good fit for them. When you look at LAs question marks in the second unit, particularly in the front court, this makes complete sense for them. He gets after it and can score in the post and will defend/rebound to the best of his ability for you. His experience and relationship with the coaching staff will make it a good transition. 5. EVAN TURNER (Pacers): To get a guy who is still developing as a pro and having a solid year is a smart acquisition. His rebounding ability and desire to guard are pluses. He can get to the rim and will give them good second unit scoring. In addition, being thrust into a playoff environment coming from a Philly situation that was a total rebuild gives him a huge boost and shot of energy. His competitive juices will be flowing. Look at his play each year and I see a guy thats starting to figure it out. Averaging an impressive 17+ ppg this season and how do you turn that down? At the end of the season, you can revisit the relationship contractually, considering you have some control with a qualifying offer and see if you want it to be a rental or continue on. In the meantime, a sound pickup for the stretch run and playoffs. ' ' '