The Springfield, New Jersey native had an incredible opportunity to play for the illustrious NFL team, the New York Jets a little while back, and not everyone who plays College ball or even for the CFL, gets that chance, but Anthony Cioffi was bestowed that incredible opportunity and he jumped at the chance the minute his run with the Ottawa Redblacks was over with.
ββ¦We spoke in the exit meeting, I didnβt get good feedback from (the Redblacks)β¦Itβs how the business works. βThank you for your time; I appreciate what you did for me.β At the end of the day, I have to do whatβs best for me. We had a great thing going my rookie year, then the next season a lot of things went downβ¦β
via The Ottawa Sun
He had already technically been in the NFL at the start of his pro career in 2017, having been signed as an undrafted free agent, but that run didnβt last all that long and he was signed by the Redblacks subsequently in 2018, whom he played for until 2020 when the opportunity to play for The Jets came up.
It was on February 13th of 2020 that The Jets signed him on for a two-year deal, yet he was waived as early as August. What adds to the confusion of the chain of events and his time with The Jets, is that he was re-signed a week later, only to again be waived on August 25th!
Yes, confusing, but not uncommon in the NFL; especially during a pandemic and world health crisis. Of this experience he has said:
βI feel greatβ¦(The Jets Opportunity) was a great opportunity to get in front of different eyes, to be able to do what you do best. It was definitely a blessing. My parents dreamed about this when I was little.Β Ottawa helped get me the opportunity. Iβm back in the CFL and it definitely feels like Iβm at home in the leagueβ¦You just take it all in β the highs and lowsβ¦Any time you get released, you want to reflect and see what you could have done better. Sometimes things work out; sometimes things go in a different direction. With every experience you have in life, itβs not always going to be great. You have to be prepared to bounce back. When stuff happens, you have to react and adjustβ¦β
via The Ottawa Sun
But as has been reported by the Ottawa Sun, Cioffi is back in the CFL and this time, heβs playing for the BC Lions. This is old news, quite obviously, as he was signed in January of this year, but his take on the whole thing and his thoughts on returning to the CFL are very interesting. On this topic, especially during a pandemic, he said:
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ββ¦Even in the beginning of the pandemic, I was able to adjustβ¦If I canβt go to a gym, I have to figure it outβ¦My football IQ continues to grow, watching the film and speaking to the coaches, especially (former CFL star) R.P. (Ryan Phillips)β¦Iβm trying to learn multiple positions, if you know the overall scheme, itβs easy β itβs like putting together pieces of a puzzle. There are always things you can improve atβ¦β
via The Ottawa Sun
He has stated that it was very interesting to return to Ottawa, this time against a team that he had played with, in a game that ended up going 24-12 in favor of The Lions, his new team. On this, he said:
βYou think about all the time you spent there, every day at practice. Once you get back on the turf, you feel very comfortable. Being back out there on the field, it felt calming β¦ like Iβd been there beforeβ¦β
The now 27-year old Rutgers University Alum had an impressive stat record with Ottawa (13 special teams stops, 97 defensive tackles, 2 interceptions, 4 sacks, a defensive touchdown), and so far with the Lions he has 11 defensive tackles. The Lions are set to face the Redblacks once again today, as of this writing.
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Domenic Marinelli is an author and freelance writer/journalist. His work has appeared in The Sportster, E-Wrestling News, Pro Wrestling News Hub, CFL News Hub, XFL News Hub, Ringside News, Daily DDT, USFL News Hub, Slam Wrestling, Guilty Eats, Lombardi Ave, as well as other print and internet publications. He is the author of Generic V, Summer of the Great White Wolf, His Old Tapes (stories & poetry), Across a Dark River in Palermo, Ancient Credos In Sanskrit Moderna, and so many others. He lives in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. https://linktr.ee/AuthorDomenicMarinelli
