Charbonneau talks about his choice to retire
Courtesy Montreal Gazette:
It’s a day every professional athlete knows is coming - the day he announces his retirement.
And they all approach it differently. Some get emotional, break down and cry. Others, however, are stoic and business-like.
Veteran Canadian defensive-tackle Steve Charbonneau announced his retirement yesterday from the Alouettes after 11 Canadian Football League seasons. And he did it with little fanfare, facing the media at the team’s football operations office inside Olympic Stadium.
With his wife, former Olympic speed-skater Isabelle Charest, and their 2-year-old son, Noah, nearby, Charbonneau refused to wax poetically about a career that ended abruptly and, in some ways, unfairly.
“I’m not emotional. The last three, four months, I’ve seen it coming,” said Charbonneau, 34. “I got over the fact I probably wouldn’t be playing. I’m not disappointed to be calling it quits. There’s no (reason to) break down.
“They asked me if I wanted to have this at (a restaurant). Why? I have great memories and (playing football) is what I’ve been about. But when it’s time to move on, you move on.”
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