Ticat Sandy Beveridge announced his retirement on Tuesday to begin his real life as a full-time firefighter, an opportunity he couldn't turn his back on.  Beverage played in 105 games over eight seasons - all with the Tiger Cats - as a defensive back and special teams player.

A volunteer fighter in Binbrook for the past eighteen months, Beveridge was offered the opportunity to become a full-time firefighter with the Hamilton Emergency Services starting his first day of training on Monday.

"This is something I knew I wanted to do after football, I just couldn't control the timing," he said, noting that competition for full-time spots is fierce. "It was an extremely difficult decision."

Head coach Marcel Bellefeuille said football takes a back seat to life. "I have a saying: coach the person first and the player second," Bellefeuille said. "This was something that was obviously very important to him and I support him 100 per cent in his decision. But it's a sad day." Bellefeuille said the Ticats will miss Beveridge's on-field play. He started 19 games at safety over seven-plus seasons and his leadership abilities were always front and centre. "Sandy is an excellent player, a guy that had good speed for his size and was very capable in terms of using his football instincts to be in position to make plays," Bellefeuille said. "He worked hard, never complained and always did everything you asked him to. He was the consummate professional."

"I'm just so thankful for everything this city and the people here have given me over the years. We've been through a lot of ups and downs," said Beveridge. His only regret is "I feel like by leaving this team now, I'm giving up a real shot at a Grey Cup ring this season," he said. "I wanted to see that through for the fans here."