Unser Chat » The B.C. Lions veteran centre announced his retirement

Angus Reid is at peace with the most difficult football decision hes ever had to make. The B.C. Lions veteran centre announced his retirement Friday, ending a 13-year CFL career. "As an athlete you know this day will always come but you never want to think about it and never want to know its real so youre forced with facing that reality," Reid said. "But Im good with it because it was my decision and most athletes dont get that opportunity, their careers end because of various factors out of their control. "Sure, in the youthful part of my mind Id love to play football forever but I know I cant give the game what Id want to give it in terms of what I have left physically and I wouldnt be happy with that. I have nothing but happy memories and theres nothing more I couldve achieved. I think I over-achieved and Im proud of what I was able to get done in this sport." The six-foot-one, 305-pound Reid appeared in over 200 regular-season games, 11 playoff contests and three Grey Cups with the Lions (winning two). Heady stuff indeed, considering the inauspicious start to his pro career. The 37-year-old native of Richmond, B.C., was selected fourth overall in the 01 CFL draft by the Toronto Argonauts. However, the former Simon Fraser star was released during training camp and spent time on the Montreal Alouettes practice roster before being dealt to B.C. later that year. "I vividly remember that first year after getting home to the Lions saying, Wow, I guess this is probably it. Im a journeyman after one season. This is not what I planned," Reid said. "But true to my character and who I am I just sort of kept focusing on what I could do, kept working and didnt let what was happening dictate what I was going to do. "I think Im a pretty good example that continuous hard work does pay off. Life is going to be up and down and its going to be a bumpy road but you just have to stay on that roller-coaster longer because most of us want to get off when it gets rough. I just stayed on and it worked out well." Reid was a West Division all-star on three occasions and he earned league honours in 2011. He was also actively involved in community events. "Few players have made the kind of impression both on and off the field as a member of the B.C. Lions that Angus has during his career," Lions general manager Wally Buono said in a statement. "He was an incredibly durable player, a tremendous leader in our dressing room and he will be missed by everyone in our organization." Former CFL players Doug Brown and Bryan Chiu took to Twitter to offer their congratulations to Reid. "Throughout college & the pros, there arent many Ive lined up against that I respected more," tweeted Brown, a native of New Westminster, B.C., who was a standout defensive tackle with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. "Congrats on ur retirement." Added Chiu, a Vancouver native who played centre for the Montreal Alouettes: "Congrats on a great career. Proud of you bro. Who wouldve thought we would both be centers in the CFL back at @vcrfootball." But Reid definitely saw the signs it was time to retire, most notably missing last season after undergoing major back surgery. "That was a wakeup call to me saying Im 37 now, not 27," Reid said. "Theres going to be life after football whether you like it or not and you want to be as healthy as you can so you can do other things in life and still have a lot of enjoyment and fun. "I have a wife and were trying to start a family and you have to look forward to more things." And then there was the realization that many of Reids former Lions teammates had long since moved on. "Half the guys I played with are my coaches now and you look around and say, Did I not get the memo," Reid said with a chuckle. "The good thing is I have no regrets looking back. "Im not leaving anything on the table. In that regard I dont want to say it was an easier decision but it gives me comfort that I can leave looking back with really proud, happy memories of my time in this sport." Especially with the majority of those memories having come at home. "There was some luck involved, obviously, that I got to play my career in B.C.," he said. "I grew up going to Lions games, my brother, Mark, was a long-snapper with the Lions in 1990 so I looked at it as a kid thinking, This would be amazing to do. "Well, I actually got to do it in the stadium I grew up going to watch games in. You really couldnt write a better career in terms of happiness, to be able to do it with your parents and family being able to come to almost every single game. You dream of a career like that and no matter how good it is it often doesnt come as close to what you would envision as a youth but mine really did and Im thankful and proud of that." As for what lies ahead, all Reid knows for sure is he wont be suiting up for the Lions in 2014. "Thats a good question, thats what Im trying to figure out right now," he said. "I did a pretty good job during my career of building bridges and good networks of people and so I do have a lot of opportunities. "However, Im trying to be careful to not to rush into the first opportunity, Im trying to look at them all." Reid has thought about a few different options when it comes to his future. "Id love to stay involved in the sport in some way but the probability of being a coach is slim right now," he said. "I think Id like to stay involved maybe in the sports media, be it TV, radio, newspapers. "But I have a feeling Ill also be doing other things in the business community. Im a Vancouver guy, this is where Ill be. Ill be busy, probably busier than I was when I played and went to work every day, put on sweats and ran around for a few hours. Now Ill probably be all over the place." 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He, the 25-year-old Toronto backup net-minder and Manitoba native, would be making just his fourth start in the past 16 games against the Jets the following evening. It was the word of opportunity for Reimer, who has fallen into the role of backup, outmatched in recent weeks by Jonathan Bernier, his Quebec counterpart.Gareth McAuley admits he would settle for a narrow victory against San Marino when Northern Ireland face them in their World Cup qualifier. One of the lowest-ranked sides in world football, the principality have conceded 17 goals in their last two away games.They now visit Belfast to face a Northern Irish side playing at Windsor Park for the first time since its renovation was complete. As such, a sell-out crowd of over 18,000 will be in attendance which will include high-profile figures such as FIFA president Gianni Infantino and boxing world champion Carl Frampton.Despite the hype and excitement, McAuley will settle for simply beating a team which has never won a competitive game and failed to avoid defeat in any World Cup qualifiers over the last 15 years. Northern Ireland will play at Windsor Park for the first time since its redevelopment was completed The West Brom defender said: It is a must-win game. Id expect all the other teams in the group to beat San Marino home and away so we are going to have to do that if were going to give ourselves any chance.The Faroes was the same scenario in the last campaign; if you dont do that, then forget about. So that means there is a pressure on us. Weve got to stay patient on how we approach it.We need the crowd to stay with us and be patient, too. If it is a goal in the last minute and we win 1-0 then job done.Obviously wed like to win by more but the days of doing that in international football are probably gone. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. I wont be disappointed if we dont put on a great performance against San Marino but come out with a 1-0 win, not at all.dddddddddddd.Ive been to Luxembourg and lost. Ive been to the Faroes and drew down the years. Yes, everyone wants to entertain but the most important thing is to get three points from that game. It doesnt matter how we do it as long as we do.Previous Northern Ireland teams McAuley has been a part of have struggled against the lesser lights of international football.In the previous World Cup qualification campaign, both Luxembourg and Azerbaijan defeated Northern Ireland in their own countries.There was no such misfortune avoided in the run-up to Euro 2016, however, when Michael ONeills side claimed 10 points from fixtures with the Faroe Islands and Finland.McAuley added: Id like to think we have learned our lesson from previous campaigns over the years and how we do things. Northern Ireland took 10 points out of 12 from their qualifiers with Finland and Faroe Islands ahead of Euro 2016 If we are our own worst enemy in the game, we wont get anything from it. But if we make the right choices and do the right things then we have enough but that is down to us players on the pitch.After Luxembourg we hit a low against the team wed expect to beat. But we are in a good place now and we are making the right decisions on the pitch now.You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the Japan Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: N Ireland latest N Ireland fixtures N Ireland stats Table Live on Sky ' ' '