Ticats give Setta the boot
Decision came as no surprise to fan favourite
January 30, 2010
DREW EDWARDS
THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR
(Jan 30, 2010)
Nick Setta stayed classy right to the very end.
The Ticat kicker and fan favourite was released yesterday after three seasons with the club, but had nothing but good things to say about his time in Hamilton.
"There's no bitterness between myself and the organization. They were the ones that gave me an opportunity and three great years," Setta said.
But perhaps that should be "mostly" great years. After earning all-star berths in 2007 and 2008, Setta struggled during parts of last season. A back injury suffered in the pre-season hampered his effectiveness early and he missed crucial kicks in road games against Toronto and Saskatchewan, both Ticat losses.
Though he finished the year hitting 15 of his last 16 field goals to raise his accuracy rate to 76 per cent, head coach Marcel Bellefeuille said a change was necessary.
"We ultimately felt we had to be more consistent in the kicking game," Bellefeuille said yesterday. "It came down to on-field production."
Setta said the news wasn't a complete surprise, particularly after the team brought in another kicker, Jeremy Ito, in October.
"When I talked to Coach at the end of the year, I had a feeling. There was talk of 'you have to get better,'" said Setta. "Nothing is ever a surprise in football."
Ito, who played in the Ticats' final regular season game after Setta was injured, will get a chance to compete for the full-time job in training camp - though Bellefeuille said the team has a plan to fill the void in the kicking game.
"There's an idea, no question, but not every part of it is under our control. You have to have a pretty good feel for how things may go," Bellefeuille said. "But we'll keep an open mind ... we are in the market for some kickers," he said.
Despite the uncertainty, Bellefeuille said he didn't think it was in the team's best interest to bring Setta to training camp.
"When you feel like you have to make a change and you bring veterans back, it makes it cloudy again," he said.
Nor did Setta's philanthropy save his job.
The 28-year-old Chicago native has run Nick Kicks for Kids the last two seasons, a program that provides new shoes to underprivileged children.
"The community aspect doesn't factor into the decision-making process, but character does. Nick's a player of high character and that makes it so much tougher," Bellefeuille said.
Setta, who had a year plus an option remaining on his contract, says he'll pursue both CFL and NFL opportunities.
"My mentality is to treat it just like a kick - once it's done, you move on to the next one. I can only control my future, I can't control my past," he said.
"It's just disappointing, because I loved the city and I felt at home there."
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