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O'Callaghan Breaks Silence
#1

The SHL trade deadline is officially in the books and it was one of the more exciting deadlines in recent seasons with the Texas Renegades bringing in superstar Louie Garrett. The move was massive but it was not well received by all members of the SHL; some are quite bitter that the Seattle Riot franchise has entered another rebuild after making the playoffs for the first time in a few seasons.

Garrett is the second major piece that Texas has secured from the Riot; the first being defender Liam O’Callaghan via sign and trade this past offseason. There are rumours circulating that Seattle’s former General Manager has been blaming the struggles of the Seattle franchise on the exit of the Irish defender.  Once O’Callaghan decided to move on from the team that drafted him DeMaricus Smyth followed suit and now calls Edmonton his home. Liam has not spoken to the media once this season following his decision to join the Renegades but he has finally decided to come forward and address the rumours circling around the league and also to clear the air on his exit from the Riot.

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“Well, I have heard quite a bit of this hearsay floating about and I can’t say that I am too pleased. I have always been a professional and I did my best to keep my nose clean but here I am getting my name drug through the mud. I cannot for the life of me understand how my leaving caused the team to ‘implode’. Last time I checked, it is up to the general manager and not one of the players to build the team.
I had a lot of fun making the playoffs for the first time and I am proud that I got to do it with the Riot, those guys will always be my family. However, we knew that we overachieved and repeating that success was unlikely. I even asked the GM how he planned to replace the offence from retiring forwards Lindstrom and Selich and he responded with ‘I don’t know’.  It was not the response I wanted to hear but I respected his honesty and assumed he had a few avenues he was pursing and I gave him the benefit of the doubt.

What happened next shocked me; he stepped down from his position shortly after being named manager of the year. I had heard some rumblings that this might happen as he was unhappy and his heart was not in the job anymore but I expected him to be able to keep going for a few seasons. I mean, he has taken so much shit from people and always kept trucking and I admired him for that. Although, that was the final straw for me and I knew I couldn’t return to the team when free agency rolled around.

When I was drafted by the Riot I fought to get a player option at the end of my first extension so I could test the free agent waters. My first GM honoured those wishes but then he stepped down and I became unsure of where I stood with the franchise. I made my new GM aware of my desire to test free agency and even told him that if he wanted to trade me rather than lose me for nothing then I would understand. I was told that there was a sizeable offer on the table at some point but he felt that I was worth more to the team, which was nice to hear.

When my second GM stepped down the day before free agency, I was unhappy. I had not anticipated playing for this many managers early on in my career and I craved stability. Knowing that Seattle would have to rebuild with the exodus of talent, I sought out a sign and trade opportunity to help the new manager as best I could. I could have easily walked for free as is my prerogative but I wanted to give the team that drafted and developed me one final gift.

So, when I hear that I am being blamed for the troubles of the Seattle Riot, it hurts me. For 206 games I shed blood and sweat for that team, I gave them everything I had and then some. I loved my time with that franchise and I still consider Seattle my home and I have not ruled a return one day. I hold no ill will towards anyone involved and I hope that we can move past the conjecture and focus on the positives that adding a player like Garrett can bring. I am beyond excited to add a former teammate to this team and I look forward to competing for the playoffs for a long, long time.”

A well thought out response from the former second-round pick out of Vancouver, the young man showed why the Riot felt it proper to name him Captain at such a young age. It appears that O’Callaghan is truly upset at this whole situation and would like to put it behind him. When asked if O’Callaghan had any ill will towards the team and their new general manager he had this to say:

“I am not one to hold a grudge; if the team wants me back at some point then I will definitely think about it. As for the new manager, I am very confident in his ability to right the ship. I talked with him at length during our exit interviews and he laid out his plan for the team and I offered my opinions and insight to him. I believe that he is young and inexperienced and will need time to fully master his job but I trust that he has the ability to get there. The new GM is full of passion and I hope he can bring the Seattle Riot back to the Promised Land.”

These are glowing words for the newly minted manager who is halfway through his first season at the helm and the team’s early success showed the potential of the team. Seattle was fighting for a playoff spot in the first quarter of the season and if they can continue to build the team with smart drafting and a few key free agent signings then the future looks bright.

Liam O’Callaghan is enjoying a career season with the Renegades and could possibly find himself nominated for the Stevens trophy if he can finish the season strong. O’Callaghan is delivering on the potential that saw Seattle trade up to draft him a few short seasons ago, if he can continue to build on this then he might go down as one of the best picks of Riot franchise. Let us hope for his sake that no more unpleasantness follows him around on his journey.

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#2

Lmao anyone blaming Dangles for Seattle’s downfall is low iq

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#3

11-23-2018, 12:34 PMWannabeFinn Wrote: Lmao anyone blaming Dangles for Seattle’s downfall is low iq

@Samee

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#4

yall this article hurts to read

i miss you in a riot jersey
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#5

11-23-2018, 12:51 PMSamee Wrote: yall this article hurts to read

i miss you in a riot jersey

There is always the future.

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#6

11-23-2018, 12:55 PMDangles13 Wrote:
11-23-2018, 12:51 PMSamee Wrote: yall this article hurts to read

i miss you in a riot jersey

There is always the future.

Renegades

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#7

11-23-2018, 12:55 PMDangles13 Wrote:
11-23-2018, 12:51 PMSamee Wrote: yall this article hurts to read

i miss you in a riot jersey

There is always the future.

Liam and DMS to join the Jakarta Calgary "Seattle Riot" Dragons in S60

Count on it @JKortesi81, we'll carry your lifeless body to another cup.

Shout out to ml002, schultzy, slashacm, tedward!
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09-05-2018, 10:04 PMBeaver Wrote: Wow look what the PT affiliation has done to our pristine league.
12-19-2018, 12:31 AMBeaver Wrote: I personally blame the PT affiliation for handing out massive amounts of free TPE to all these players, inflating the TPE they're at when they get called up.
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#8

11-23-2018, 12:55 PMDangles13 Wrote:
11-23-2018, 12:51 PMSamee Wrote: yall this article hurts to read

i miss you in a riot jersey

There is always the future.

Tampering

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