After seeing Akeem Haynes sign with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Olympic sprinter Justyn Warner wondered on Twitter if the Saskatchewan Roughriders could use a sprinter of his calibre on the football field.
Speed isn’t everything, it was my direction change and explosiveness that killed people, then they couldn’t catch me in open field.
Ya I wish I could go back to football that was my first 💜.
(Ask Sask if they need a 10.09 guy 😏😉)— Justyn Warner, OLY (@justynwarner) April 2, 2018
Warner admitted football was his first love and he actually had offers to play collegiately south of the border.
Yep had a few schollys to D1s and ultimately turned Em down to save my body lol
— Justyn Warner, OLY (@justynwarner) April 3, 2018
The Toronto native went to Texas Christian University on a track scholarship where he was a three-time All-American for his role on the Horned Frogs 4×100-metre relay team. Warner qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games in London in the 100 and 4×100 metre events. He ran a personal best 100-metre time of 10.09 and famously was part of the 4×100 metre Canadian relay team that appeared to have won a bronze medal, but were disqualified because of a lane violation.
It’s unlikely Warner is seriously considering a football career, however. He’s now 30, “unofficially retired”in 2016 and seems focused on his burgeoning career as a visual artist.
