You know what? It is such an honour for my peers to pick me for such a prestigious award.

I’ve seen the list of guys who’ve won this award and to be put on that list with those names is truly a blessing.

I’ve been fortunate enough in the past to be named to all-star teams and honours of that nature and every award has a different affect. This one is a little bit deeper because it comes from the people I play with and the people I’m surrounded by for six months out of the year.

To see how they think of me, it’s definitely a humbling feeling. The other flattering thing about the award is that it’s a reflection of how you play on the field and also how you’re perceived as a person off the field. That’s a real honour because I try to live my life the way I speak.

No one is perfect in any way or form but I’ve got three boys and I’m never going to ask my boys to be the type of man I’m not willing to be myself. For my teammates to pick me for this kind of honour just shows that I’m on the right path. It’s a blessing.

It’s also great to sign a contract extension that will allow me to remain with the Stampeders. I enjoy playing with the guys we have on defence. Especially Brandon Smith — I talk to him a lot in the off-season. When last season was over, we spoke and I told him that there’s nobody else I’d rather play with in this league than him. He’s one of my best friends on and off the field. I’m very happy he also recently signed a contract extension. We came in together as rookies in 2008 and it’s great that we’ve been together ever since.

Calgary is a great place and we have great fans. It’s just a great place for my family to be. My wife loves it, my kids go to school here and signing with the Stamps was a grand opportunity for us to get settled here.

Rick Campbell, our new defensive coordinator, is a tremendous coach. I had an opportunity to speak with him and I mentioned on Twitter that if anyone could have gotten that job, I’m glad it’s him. He’s such an honourable man and a person who knows the game. He’s definitely been around the league for a long time through his father and with his own coaching career. It’s a blessing to have a guy with that kind of resume coaching us and leading us to where we want to be.

This has been my second off-season that I’ve spent in Calgary and you know what? I’ve been relaxing a lot more. My wife told me she didn’t want me to work as much so I’ve just been training. I also train kids during the off-season and I’ve also been doing a lot of public-speaking engagements. Motivational speaking has been something that has been on the uprise for me.

So if anyone wants to get in contact with me to speak at schools or wherever it may be, they can contact me through Twitter — @Mr_Raymond25

It’s definitely been a blessing to enjoy this nice warm weather we’ve been having in Calgary and I’m truly looking forward to the start of the season.

Keon Raymond, #25
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