Just a few short weeks ago it appeared as though the Calgary Stampeders' run to the Grey Cup was inevitable.
The team was off to a 9-1 start, they had a playoff berth locked up and they were rolling over the competition in the process.
However some of that momentum was quashed by back-to-back losses to division rivals in Saskatchewan and more disappointingly against B.C. where the Stampeders' vaunted offence was completely stymied by the Lions.
The hopes that the team would be able to quietly regroup and focus on Friday's contest against the East Division-leading Alouettes were shattered when a photo of quarterback Henry Burris suddenly went viral earlier in the week.
The photo shows the Stampeders pivot posing in a bra with a woman who is not his wife. Much like Calgary's current two-game winless stretch, Burris hopes the photos are not blown out of proportion.
"It was just a get together with friends celebrating my birthday. They played a little prank on me and hey, I guess someone else had other intentions," said Burris.
Burris' wife Nicole and his two children attended Stampeders practice on Tuesday as a show of support. Burris admitted that he was extremely unhappy that an anonymous source was attempting to drive a wedge between him and his family.
"My family, we are really annoyed about it," admitted Burris. "We knew about the situation from the beginning and it's amazing that it came up after a loss but I guess nobody likes a loser, right? I'm not going to be here glorifying anyone trying to mess up a good home. I love my family and that's the bottom line."
While Burris certainly was not amused about the situation, Stamps head coach and general manager John Hufnagel was able to find some humour in the incident.
"I thought the bra size was too large," deadpanned Hufnagel.
While Calgary will get an offensive boost thanks to the return of receiver Nik Lewis, who has sufficiently healed from a knee injury, the photos gives Burris some extra incentive to bounce back from his worst performance of the season.
"They add a lot of fire, especially with a big game coming up against the defending Grey Cup champs," said Burris.
Not that Calgary needed any extra motivation to succeed after a pair of disappointing efforts, but considering that the Alouettes swept the season series last year, Friday's encounter should give the Stampeders a real measuring stick of just how far they have come this season.
"We've got to get out there and get on that path that we were going on there for awhile," said Burris.
While it will inevitably take some time for Burris to be able to look back at the photo incident and laugh, a win on Friday would go a long way to bringing back the trademark smile to the face of the man known as 'Smiling Hank.'
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