Well, that was quick.
On Monday (June 5), BC Lions announced they鈥檇 traded Surrey-raised football player Jonathan Kongo, just 15 days after the CFL team signed the standout defensive lineman.
The Lions acquired a 2024 draft pick from Hamilton Tiger-Cats in exchange for Kongbo, who had signed with the Lions partway through training camp and dressed for just one pre-season game, June 1 against Calgary.
It鈥檚 not clear exactly what happened, but it seems like team chemistry was a problem.
鈥淚 think it just wasn鈥檛 gonna be a good fit,鈥� Lions head coach Rick Campbell said on Sportsnet 650 radio on Wednesday (June 7).
鈥淵ou know, we wanted it to work out, that鈥檚 why we signed him, but sometimes if players aren鈥檛 comfortable with the situation, or it鈥檚 not going to work out, then it鈥檚 better to move on. It was quite clear to me that he wasn鈥檛 comfortable with the situation, and that鈥檚 too bad.鈥�
Campbell made it clear that it wasn鈥檛 Kongbo鈥檚 on-field performance or style of play that was a problem.
鈥淣o, it was just being comfortable on the team,鈥� the coach said during the Halford & Brough morning show.
鈥淔or some reason, there was some disconnect there. We signed him, we wanted him and it wasn鈥檛 going to work out, and it鈥檚 just the way it goes. It happens once in awhile, and like I said we would have loved to have him. It didn鈥檛 seem to meshing really well and so we, you know, gave him a new home.鈥�
After kicking off in Calgary Thursday (June 8), the Lions鈥� home-opener for the 2023 season is Saturday, June 17 at BC Place Stadium, where LL Cool J is among pre-game performers.
DL speaks with media after today's practice. | |
鈥� Hamilton Tiger-Cats (@Ticats)
鈥淣ot a fit鈥� because I called out star players not showing up for practice, and guys not wanting to work out. Culture matters, it鈥檚 called pro football for a reason.
鈥� Jonathan Kongbo 馃嚚馃嚛 (@King_Kongbo)
On Twitter, after being traded, Kongbo said this about his brief time with the Lions: 鈥溾�橬ot a fit鈥� because I called out star players not showing up for practice, and guys not wanting to work out. Culture matters, it鈥檚 called pro football for a reason.鈥�
The 27-year-old Kongbo, a Holy Cross graduate who starred for the Surrey-area school team a decade ago, has played in the NFL and also .
Last October he dressed for a pair of games with Denver Broncos after signing a reserve/futures deal in January. , the Broncos lost 12-9 in overtime, but Kongbo scored a personal goal of making his NFL debut five games into Denver鈥檚 season.
In Hamilton, Kongbo will have to quickly adapt to a new team just days before the start of the CFL season.
鈥淚鈥檝e played a couple times here and it鈥檚 good to finally be on the other side, getting with the guys, see the culture around here, how guys are working, so it鈥檚 been a really good couple days,鈥� .
He talked about the 鈥渉ard-working, blue-collar spirit鈥� of Hamilton and how he thinks he鈥檚 a perfect fit for the city.
Asked what kind of player he is, Kongbo responded: 鈥淔earless, tenacious, I love the game, love the work, love the cameraderie, I love getting after it, I love winning, so to all the Ti-Cats fans, you鈥檙e getting a player who loves to compete, a player who loves to get after it and a player who loves to win.鈥�
While at Holy Cross, Kongbo was something of an accidental football star, a guy who hadn鈥檛 played the game until Grade 12 at the Fleetwood-area Catholic school. He鈥檇 been a basketball player at Kitsilano Secondary until transferring to Holy Cross, where the Crusaders鈥� coaches eventually coaxed him to try football, a game he didn鈥檛 embrace at first.
Born in Zaire, Konbgo moved with his family to Canada at age five.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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