By Nic Sgaggi
Stampeders.com

With the Ottawa RedBlacks rolling into town on Saturday, there are a couple of Stampeders players with Ottawa connections who are particularly excited for this week’s game.

One is Stampeders receiver and former University of Ottawa quarterback Brad Sinopoli.

“I remember watching them on TV when I was younger back when they had (Kerry) Joseph as their quarterback,” said a nostalgic Sinopoli. “That was a long time ago but it’s exciting to be playing them.”

Sinopoli spoke about his connection with the city of Ottawa after spending four years as a member of the Gee-Gees.

“Obviously I played there in university,” said Sinopoli. “Half my family lived there when I was playing there. My parents came up every weekend to see me play. I’m obviously tied to the city and I always go back in the off-season and I kind of consider it my second home.

“It’s the Nation’s Capital. There should be CFL football there. I know a lot of people that live there are passionate about football. Especially now that Carleton (University) is back (in the CIS) and football seems to be on the rise again. It’s exciting.”

He admitted it may be a bit strange to be playing against an Ottawa team for the first time.

“It’ll be cool,” said Sinopoli. “It’s different because it’s a CFL team instead of university. It’ll be cool just to be a part of an era that gets to play against them.”

Stamps left guard Brander Craighead grew up in the Ottawa area and played his high school ball there. He appreciates the fact the CFL is back in the Nation’s Capital.

But Craighead, on the other hand, considers his home wherever he hangs his hat.

“In general, it’s great for the CFL to have another team,” said Craighead. “Ottawa was the place I grew up, so it’s cool that there’s a CFL team there, but I don’t really have any connection there at all. My family is there, but other than that, not really.”

However, there is a familiar face on the Ottawa roster.

“Connor Williams. No. 99 – the D-tackle for the RedBlacks,” he recollected. “I played junior OVFL (Ontario Varsity Football League) with him.

“When I was at UTEP and he was at Utah State, we kind of stayed in connection. When the draft was happening in 2013, we were emailing each other back and forth. When I signed with the Stamps back in December, I talked with him about that decision and then he made his decision a little bit later to sign with Ottawa.”