Roughriders’ Milligan finds himself in the MOP race

Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. says the perspective he gained from an off-season job has given him a greater appreciation for the on-field success he’s having in what might prove to be a historic year.

Milligan, whose play has him in the running to be just the second defensive player in CFL history to win the Most Outstanding Player Award, was looking for a job near his home in Lake Wales, Fla. in December, when he found a posting for a youth care worker at a home for teenage boys.

Milligan’s mom had worked at a juvenile detention centre when he was younger, so he called her up before applying. 

“She thought it would be something that I would be able to do and enjoy because I work with kids all the time with football training,” he said on Wednesday.

Milligan got the job, and spent several months working with teenagers facing challenging situations.

“It opened my mind to things you don’t really see on a daily basis, the way some kids are raised and the things they have to go through at a young age and fight with every day.”

Milligan said that working with teens in different life situations changed his perspective. 

“Some kids are affiliated with gangs,” he said. “Some kids use drugs already…a bunch of different things. It was a lot.”

Milligan’s duties included waking the kids up in the morning, having them do basic hygiene, sitting with them during their classes, and assisting with other daily tasks.

“I just tried to be a positive light for them, as much as I could,” he said. “Even though they were raised through some things, they don’t have to let that be who they are, and they don’t have to stick to that. They can change who they are. They can branch out to different areas of life. They just have to know that it’s not going to be easy. Just trying to keep them level-headed, not too high, not too low. Some of them had anger issues, depression, all types of mental health [challenges]…just trying to teach them how to regulate their emotions.”

Milligan has used that change in perspective to help author one of the best-ever seasons for a defensive player in the CFL.

“You just realize how bad it is for some kids,” he said. “You don’t always grow up around kids who have been through that many different problems…[it's taught me] to just be thankful for where I'm at and the opportunity I have to play this game still."

The soft-spoken, 30-year-old currently leads the league in interceptions (seven) and special teams tackles (19), a rare feat for a player this late in the year. He’s also tied for fifth in total tackles with 84.

“I’m feeling good,” he said this week. Milligan missed most of last season because of a toe injury. “After having the season cut off last year because of injury, it just felt good to just get back in to camp and then get to show the hard work paying off, recovering from the injury and getting back into my routine and then just preparing throughout the season. 

Milligan and the Riders (7-7-1) travel to Edmonton (5-1) this week to face the Elks on Saturday (7 p.m. ET/5 p.m. MT/ on TSN 1). With a win, Saskatchewan will be that much closer to hosting a home playoff game. 

Milligan played college football for the Toledo Rockets and had stints in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, and Indianapolis Colts. Now in his fourth season with the Roughriders, he has emerged as a key leader and important influence on teammates.

“There’s lots of plays each and every week where Rol’s a catalyst for other guys making plays,” said Jordan Linnen, a defensive assistant with the team. “He consistently shows up every day, punches the clock. He’s in here in the meeting room…when we’re watching film, he’s looking to see tendencies and trying to give other guys in the secondary tips and keys and other things that can help them elevate their play and make plays like he does.”

Milligan’s prep work is rubbing off on teammates.

“He pushes some of the guys in the room to watch more film, whether that’s with him or on their own,” Linnen said. “Giving them little tidbits and tendencies, things like that.”

Milligan’s interceptions get plenty of attention, but his teammates and coaches value his contributions on special teams as well. Linnen said that it was Milligan who pushed the coaching staff to use him in those situations.

“Kudos to Ro,” Linnen said. “His mentality when he got here was that he didn’t want to not be a part of special teams. Guys that are having the success that he’s having on defence usually don’t have as prominent a role on special teams, but he took it upon himself to want to be on special teams.”

Teammates are happy that Milligan’s starting to get more recognition around the league as his case for Most Outstanding Player grows. No one in league history has ever had seven interceptions and 20 special teams tackles in a season, a feat Milligan is on the verge of achieving.

BC Lions linebacker Solomon Elimimian (in 2014) remains the only full-time defensive player to win the M.O.P. in its 70-year history. Hamilton Tiger Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, Montreal Alouettes pivot Cody Fajardo, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira are also in the running this year.

“He's just a really, really good football player,” Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris said this week. “I'm glad people are finally realizing that.”

Fellow defensive back Marcus Sayles, his teammates, and Rider Nation all want Milligan to get serious consideration for the award.

“The fact he’s up for the M.O.P. as a defensive player is already incredible, so that should be a case for itself,” he said. “He’s doing the stuff on special teams. There’s literally never going to be a game in which you don’t see him making plays…he’s been doing everything he can, on and off the field, to make sure his body’s right and give 100 per cent to the team.”

Despite his historic pace, the Riders feel Milligan’s only scratching the surface of what he can do on the field as they look to make a run to the Grey Cup. 

“What he’s doing this year is almost unprecedented,” Linnen said. “He wants to continue to elevate. He wants to continue to push his play to see what his ceiling truly is…He’s not stopping.”