For the Alouettes’ general manager and interim head coach, Danny Maciocia, it was a matter of common sense to obtain the rights to Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. From there to brandish the hope that the famous guard actually puts on the uniform, there is a margin.
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Photo d’archives, USA TODAY Sports
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif took the tape off his hands following the New York Jets lost to the Buffalo Bulls last November.
The Alouettes obtained the rights to “LDT” in a trade with the Calgary Stampeders on Thursday. After the loss on the night, a fourth this season, Maciocia mentioned briefly that he had been working on this file for a year.
Today he explained to the Journal his view on Duvernay-Tardif’s potential commitment to the Alouettes.
“It would be dishonest of me to tell everyone that, yes, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is going to play for the Alouettes. I don’t know if he has any interest at the moment, but his rights should belong to us. An individual like him, it is much more important to have his rights in Quebec than in Alberta, ”he argued.
Maciocia doesn’t bury her head in the sand. He understands very well that Duvernay-Tardif still has hope for another opportunity in the NFL and that he is currently dedicated to medicine.
“When we made the transaction, it was not necessarily thinking that he was going to wear the jersey on the field, but he can help us in other ways as an organization.
“That’s why you had to get his rights first because the reality is that it’s impossible to associate with him in any way if his rights belong to another team. It would be raiding,” he said.
A first contact
Maciocia claims to have discussed today in the morning with the agent of the 31-year-old Quebecer, Sasha Ghavami.
“I simply explained to him the reasons for the transaction and he understood. I didn’t go any further. We’ll see what happens,” he said.
Not just a publicity stunt
The head of the Alouettes’ football aspect knows full well that some will say it was just a public relations gesture, but he takes issue with that perception.
“Laurent, I know him. I have coached once morest him when I was with the Carabins [de l’Université de Montréal]. I was able to discuss with him and I have enormous respect for the individual that he is and who makes all of Quebec proud with his achievements.
“If he can change the lives of a few student-athletes by being associated with our organization, society can only benefit from it,” he pleaded.
“If Laurent does not play for us, it will have cost us absolutely nothing. And if he decided to play for us, it would cost us picks, but we would get quite a player! concluded the general manager.
The Duvernay-Tardif clan did not comment on the news.