OL Rob Murphy (official thread)

[Buckskin86]

Argos left tackle Murphy likely out for the season
Published On Tue Sep 13 2011
Bob Mitchell Sports Reporter

The sinking CFL team now knows it will likely have to do without offensive left tackle Rob Murphy for the rest the season.

Murphy, 34, is arguably the heart and soul of the O-line, but the 2010 East Division all-star has now been placed on the nine-game injury list as a result of getting hurt in the Argos? 29-16 loss to the B.C. Lions at the Rogers Centre on Sept. 2.

He underwent an MRI last week for his injured knee, and coach Jim Barker said on Wednesday that his offensive line captain will likely need an operation in the next two weeks.

?It looks like he?s gone . . . But I hate saying anything about a guy being gone for the year,? Barker said. ?I said that with (Jason) Pottinger and he?s back.?

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http://www.thestar.com/sports/footb...-left-tackle-murphy-likely-out-for-the-season

 

[Buckskin86]

Murphy may be the jerk of the year, but he's a nice guy
By Gordon McIntyre, The Province November 25, 2011

It's like finding out John Wayne cried.

Rob Murphy, a-hole of the year as agreed upon by his CFL peers, spouter of politically incorrect tweets, in-your-face offensive lineman who plays past the whistle and past the echo.

He's back in town and yes, he has tear ducts.

Murphy, who protected Dave Dickenson's left flank in the Lions 2006 Grey Cup charge, never wanted to leave the Lions and thinks post-football he may be back to make Vancouver his home.

The a-hole thing? Fun. But reality? Triplets who are three and a half years old, who live back in northern Florida and have turned tough daddy to mush.

"People know me, am I an a-hole? That's just who I am," Murphy said on Thursday after emceeing the CFLPA's all-star announcement in downtown Vancouver.

"First and foremost to me is my kids. When this award came out [the jerk award on Wednesday night], OK, I'm an a-hole to guys on the other team and people who cross me the wrong way. But not to my friends, I'm not.

"If you talk to them, I'm loyal to a fault. If you're with me, you're with me and I'll do anything for you.

"Maybe it's a split personality." If it is, it's one shared by many former teammates.

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Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Murphy+jerk+year+nice/5765928/story.html#ixzz1ejDD4oMV

 

[Buckskin86]

Ex-Argos lineman Rob Murphy on why he is calling it quits

Matthew Scianitti May 23, 2012

After a 14th knee operation last October, Murphy deemed himself 100% in February. But he is not here to play again. Murphy is retiring.

MISSISSAUGA ? It is Sunday night and Rob Murphy is back in town. The former Toronto Argonauts left tackle is having a drink in a bar in Mississauga. He is wearing a zip-up sweater and cargo shorts and still looks enormous. But he unzips his sweater and somehow looks smaller in a white T-shirt. ?With cardio and smoking, I?ve been losing weight like a champ,? he says half-jokingly.

After a 14th knee operation last October, Murphy deemed himself 100% in February. But he is not here to play again. Murphy is retiring.

He plans to make the announcement Thursday, though he does not know where yet or what he will say. But he wanted his three-year-old triplets, Maddox, Grey and daughter Rowan, there. He does not say that, but as he looks at pictures on his iPhone of the little ones getting their hair cut ? ?They wanted fuzzy hair like Daddy,? he says ? the dirtiest player in the CFL has a soft smile. Murphy?s hulking body is at the corner of the bar, but his mind is 1,800 kilometres south in Jacksonville, Fla., with them.

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http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/05/23/ex-argos-lineman-rob-murphy-on-why-he-is-calling-it-quits/

 

[Buckskin86]

Ex-B.C. Lions, Argos warrior Rob Murphy has to call it a career in CFL
By Mike Beamish, Vancouver Sun comment May 24, 2012

Rob Murphy, the star CFL offensive lineman with the biker image who announced his retirement on Wednesday.
Photograph by: xx , NP

VANCOUVER — Rob Murphy — a massive building block for the B.C. Lions’ championship season in 2006 — officially is passing into retirement today, joining his former Ohio State roommate, Brent Johnson, in the next phase of life after football.

Johnson, 35, realized it was time when he made his official announcement in March to pursue a career in financial planning. Murphy, who turned 35 in January, perhaps was not so willing to move on.

Indeed, the last time I spoke with Murph, a two-time CFL most outstanding lineman with the Lions (2006-2007), he still held out hope of playing one more season for the Argos, the team he joined as a free agent in 2009.

cont...

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Li...+call+career/6673499/story.html#ixzz1vp1OAfPZ

Argos? tackle Rob Murphy retires
RACHEL BRADY
Globe and Mail Update
Published Wednesday, May. 23, 2012

Toronto Argonauts offensive tackle Rob Murphy has officially announced his retirement from the Canadian Football League. The outspoken lineman won?t be having a conventional retirement news conference. He has invited reporters to celebrate over beers.

Murphy played 93 CFL games over six seasons and won a Grey Cup ring with the B.C. Lions. His 2011 season with the Argos was cut short by a knee injury which resulted in another in a long line of knee surgeries over his career. Murphy had long-earned a salary among the league?s top tiers, and was no longer part of the Argos? plans for 2012.

?After 13 years of professional football that has spanned four leagues and three countries, I have decided to retire from the Canadian Football League,? said Murphy in a statement inviting media to his official announcement on Thursday. ?The memories and people I have met along the way have equalled the joy I got from physically dominating an opponent on the field.?

Throughout his time in the CFL, Murphy became one of the top offensive tackles in the league. He was a three-time CFL all-star and twice named the CFL?s Most Outstanding Lineman.

?There comes a time in every athlete?s career that they must assess where they are and what they have accomplished,? continued Murphy. ?At this point, I have accomplished all of my professional goals that I set forth for myself.?

After a standout season at Ohio State University, he had stints in the NFL with the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs. Murphy joined the Argonauts in 2009 and started 43 games for the Boatmen.

?Rob was one of the great offensive tackles in the league while he played. He had a physical presence that made everyone around him better,? said Jim Barker, Argos general manager, who coached Murphy up until last season. ?He was a consummate pro, was always prepared and we were never worried about the left tackle position when he was in the lineup.?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/argos-tackle-rob-murphy-retires/article2441515/

 

[Buckskin86]

Murphy exits on own terms
CAITLYN HOLROYD, Toronto Sun
First posted: Thursday, May 24, 2012

Rob Murphy (left) announces his retirement from the CFL yesterday as friend and former Argos teammate Adriano Belli looks on. Murphy leaves as one of the league?s best offensive linemen. (Caitlyn Holroyd photo)

TORONTO - Standing in the middle of a dimly lit downtown Toronto bar and holding a bouquet of flowers, Rob Murphy didn?t look like such a scary guy ? save for his 6-foot-5, 300-pound frame.

Had he been on the field, of course, it would have been a different story.

The former Toronto Argonaut and B.C. Lion and was joined by friends and former teammates Thursday afternoon as he announced his retirement from the Canadian Football League after six seasons. Murphy said it was something he wanted to do on his own terms.

?It just came to a point in time where, you know, I?ve played 13 years in two leagues and it got to the point where when I blew my knee out this past year, that thought kind of creeps into your mind. Then when free agency started, I just wanted to see what was out there and essentially there were opportunities out there for me to continue to play but not being the highest-paid guy in this league anymore.?

Even moreso, the 35-year-old wanted to have his three-year-old triplets be able to come and watch him play another season. When he realized it wasn?t going to happen, he decided it was the right time to retire.

Murphy joined the CFL in 2006 when he signed with the Lions as a free agent. He would go on to win a Grey Cup with the team that year and signed with the Argonauts in 2009, where he played and started in 43 games for the Boatmen. Prior to joining the CFL, Murphy had stints in the NFL with the Detroit, San Francisco, Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Kansas City.

Making the transition from the NFL to the CFL wasn?t easy for the Buffalo native.

?I came into this league in 2006 not knowing anything, you know, you get pampered in the prima donna aspect of being an NFL player. I remember coming in, the first flight we took it was a commercial flight, I was like, ?Where?s our private plane?? It was just like, welcome to the CFL,? Murphy said.

?The thing that I loved about it, there was really no egos in this league. The guys for the most part play this game for the love of the game and it was so refreshing for me. My last three years in the NFL, I really became jaded with a lot of these phenomenal athletes that didn?t really appreciate the game.?

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http://www.torontosun.com/2012/05/24/murphy-exits-on-own-terms