Without a hint of regret or hesitation Toronto Argonauts defensive tackle Adriano Belli said bon voyage to the Canadian Football League on Wednesday.

Aboard a tall ship in Toronto’s Harbourfront, dressed as a sailor, with cheerleaders on each arm, Belli officially retired after 10 CFL seasons.

Only Belli, the colourful, sometimes controversial Toronto kid, could go out like this.

“In the preservation of quarterbacks across the Canadian Football League, I’ll be stepping down from my duties of defensive tackle and I’m proud to do so as a Toronto Argonaut, in my hometown,” Belli told the crowd of friends, family and teammates gathered on the Tall Ship Kajama.

“I’m happy knowing every down I’ve ever played I’ve given it 100 per cent. I’ve been so blessed. I’ve been coached by some of the greatest coaches in the CFL, I’ve played with some of the coolest guys around, I’m blessed to have played this long.

Belli, 33, wrestled with the decision about his future before finally deciding his

College football coaches are used to losing players. Every year student-athletes graduate or transfer and coaches are left to replace them as best they can.

But few coaches have likely ever had to take on the kind of rebuilding job head coach Dave Johnson has done at Simon Fraser University.

On Saturday, the Clan will become the first Canadian university to play football in the NCAA. And if the rule changes weren’t a big enough obstacle, the team lost 60 players from last year’s squad due to the different eligibility rules.

“We’ve had to replace all our leaders with high school kids,” Johnson said. “We’re in tough but this all part of a process.”

The team also begins the season with heavy hearts. Last year’s starting quarterback, Bernd Dittrich, died in the offseason due to an undetected heart condition.

The NCAA has a four-year eligibility limit, while Canadian Interuniversity Sport allows five years. Seasons spent playing at a lower college level do not count against the five-year

TORONTO - To say Cory Boyd has adjusted well to the Canadian Football League would be an understatement.

In just three games, the hard-nosed running back has become the main offensive treat for the suddenly formidable Argos.

Boyd rushed for 142 yards, and became the early-season CFL leader with 283, in Toronto's come-from-behind 27-24 win over the Calgary Stampeders on Wednesday night at the Rogers Centre. It was Toronto's second win in a row and its first win in a home opener since 2006.

If all Boyd needed to shine was an opportunity to play, he's found it with the Argos.

"I love the CFL. They actually give you a chance," Boyd said. "If I was in the NFL I'd probably be on someone's practice squad right now, or on special teams.

"To come here and be a starter and battle through all the elements I had to, and be here with a great team, you can't ask for much more."

Boyd was a star at the University of South Carolina and was drafted in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL draft by the Tampa

The opening of a new stadium naturally brings some firsts with it. The B.C. Lions, however, had one unexpected first during their home opener.

A sellout crowd of 27,528 opened Empire Field in Vancouver on Saturday. It is the team’s temporary home while B.C. Place Stadium undergoes a $458-million construction project.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders spoiled the party with a convincing 37-18 win, giving the Lions their first loss in the new stadium.

In the fourth quarter, another first. Perhaps even a first in any sport. With about three minutes to go a fan came out of the stands and stormed the field – in a wheelchair.

From Yahoo! Sports blog Shutdown Corner and Orland Kurtenblog comes the video:

Fans on the scene said the motorized trespasser made it a third of the way across the field before being caught and received a standing ovation from the delighted crowd.

Some fans that run out onto the field are deterred from doing it again by the harsh treatment they receive. Given this fans