Courtesy Montreal Gazette:

The instructions are clear, albeit somewhat restrictive, on the Locks of Love website.

Coloured or permed hair is unacceptable, as is bleached hair. Dreadlocks? The manufacturer can’t accept it, but grey hair is permitted. Hair must be a minimum 10 inches in length. Curly hair may be pulled straight to measure the minimum. And the hair must be in a ponytail or braid before being cut. Oh yes, it must be clean and completely dry before being mailed in. And it must be placed inside a plastic bag, then inside a padded envelope.

What began as a motivating challenge for Jay Staggs, a rookie linebacker at the Alouettes’ training camp, turned into a selfless and magnanimous gesture to benefit cancer patients.

While a safety at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and mired in a losing program, Staggs decided he wasn’t going to shear his thick patch of curly hair until the Rebels qualified for a postseason Bowl game. He started growing the locks near the end of his sophomore season. And then he waited. And hoped.

“I looked like a ragamuffin,” remembered Staggs, 25. “I had to put it in a tight bun under my helmet.”

The Rebels never made it beyond conference play, but Staggs was invited to a pair of all-star games following his senior season, playing in one – the inaugural Texas vs. The Nation match in 2007.

Figuring his mission had been completed, his unruly patch now measuring 19 inches, Staggs acquiesced, and sat in a barber’s chair. It was his first haircut in 26 or 27 months, he estimated.

But this wouldn’t be any ordinary cut and blow-dry.

Staggs, you see, comes from a blue-collar California family with tough genes, but strong and generous hearts.

His grandmother beat breast cancer twice. His grandfather beat prostate and testicular cancer. His uncle also overcame testicular cancer, while his mother was treated for melanoma three times.

“When my uncle was diagnosed, it hit me hard,” Staggs said. “The week of the all-star game, we went to a foundation and met ill people. They looked at me like I was a hero. But they were the ones who are heroes, fighting a daily battle.”

Staggs’s mother told him about Locks of Love, a non-profit, Florida-based organization that provides hairpieces to anyone – but mostly children – suffering from cancer, burns, skin diseases and other ailments.

Staggs knew immediately what was required of him. “I don’t think what I did was special,” he said, shrugging. “It was a selfless act and it changed lives. You never know how something like that can improve their spirit. I hope it uplifted someone.”

Staggs, who studied sociology, but decided to become a personal trainer, has twice attempted to play pro. He attended training camp with the Chicago Bears in 2007 and ventured north to the Fort St. Jean campus a year ago, lasting about a week before suffering an ankle injury.

In the world of sports, it’s rare to get a second opportunity to make a first impression. But management liked the reckless abandon with which the 6-foot, 215 pounder plays. So Staggs has returned to the Als, where he’s trying out at weakside linebacker.

“There are some things we really liked about him,” defensive co- ordinator Tim Burke said. “His speed, quickness and intelligence. And we know he’s a physical player. He was hurt as a rookie, but there was enough to see. We like his athletic ability. In college, he was known as a hitter. We figured we’d bring him back and give him another chance.”

Staggs, a cousin of Ryan Church, who played outfield for the Expos, Washington Nationals and is now with the New York Mets, jumped at the opportunity to rejoin the Als, although he was married

only three weeks ago. And, despite a year away from the game spent, in part, coaching a high school junior varsity team in the Las Vegas area, Burke said Staggs hasn’t been affected by the inactivity.

“What’s amazing is it looks like he had practised at least for part of the year,” Burke said. “As a rookie, most guys are all over the place, playing with effort. But he has done a good job of showing he knew what to do. He’s not a rookie puppy dog, all over the place. He has shown athleticism, football sense and has shown he can learn.”

Now, like any rookie, Burke stressed Staggs must remain healthy to help his chances.

Notes – Safety Matthieu Proulx has a groin injury. That means Étienne Boulay’s practising with the starting defence. … Veteran receiver Chad Rempel, who has played with Toronto, Winnipeg and Hamilton, has been released. … Cornerback Davis Sanchez returned after a one-day absence because of a hip flexor.

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