Roughriders looking to stage a Judge family reunion

Chris Judge is eager to follow in his brother’s footsteps.

That’s kind of unique, given that Chris is nearly four years older than his sibling. But Cameron Judge indeed has blazed a trail for Chris with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

“I kind of feel like I’m floating the last couple of hours because it’s just crazy to believe,” Chris, 28, said Friday during a chat with The Green Zone’s Jamie Nye. “Honestly, it has really been a childhood dream of mine to play with my brother … It is really a special thing to me and my whole family.”

Chris and Cameron have never been able to play on the same team because of their respective ages — not in Pop Warner, high school or university. That finally could change in 2019.

Cameron, a linebacker, is preparing for his third season with the Roughriders after being selected second overall in the 2017 draft. Chris, who played linebacker and defensive end in college, was taken by Saskatchewan in the eighth round (71st overall) of Thursday’s draft.

The boys’ family members were understandably thrilled that the brothers may get a chance to play together.

“It was really something else to hear the excitement in everybody’s voice (after the draft),” Chris said. “They were like, ‘You’d better be committed to this,’ and I said, ‘You know I am.’

“I’m not giving anything less than 110 per cent, especially on the football field. I don’t even know how to give anything less than my all.”

That’s what the Roughriders hope to see out of Judge, who hasn’t played football since 2014. A theatre major at Cal Poly, he worked as an actor after college — his father, Christopher Judge, also is an actor — before realizing that football wasn’t completely out of his system.

Chris had hip surgery during his senior season with the Mustangs, so he wasn’t ready to resume his football career following graduation. After seeing Cameron play at UCLA and in Saskatchewan, Chris decided to try again.

OUT OF RETIREMENT BABY IM STILL A BEAST YOULL SEE 👀 #44 BULLDOG is BACK @sskroughriders blessed for the opportunity! 🙏🏽 oh yeah, and it’s always been my DREAM to play with my brother @CameronJudge I’m not gonna let you down! #CFL #CFLDraft #Riders pic.twitter.com/wFXjht5ZLr

— Chris Judge (@seeJudge) May 3, 2019

He said he had a couple of workouts with the Calgary Stampeders, and those convinced him to consider a comeback.

“I was like, ‘You know what? I actually don’t feel that bad. I still feel pretty loose. I think I’m going to take this seriously and go give this another shot,’ ” Chris said. “I talked to some other coaches and I was thrilled when Saskatchewan showed interest in me because it has always been my dream to play with my brother on the same team.”

Having been born in Victoria, Judge is a Canadian, but he had to go through the process of securing his status as a national in the eyes of the CFL. He did that this off-season and thus was eligible for the draft.

The Roughriders talked to a number of people — including Cameron — before deciding to bring the other Judge on board.

“We want a family atmosphere in our locker room, but I would say that that wasn’t the deciding factor (in Chris’ selection),” Saskatchewan general manager Jeremy O’Day told reporters after the draft. “It was a value pick for us. We do focus a lot on our special teams and we’re hoping that he’s what he was a few years back.”

O’Day noted that Judge was named the top special-teams player in the Big Sky Conference during his career at Cal Poly, an award that made him an intriguing prospect for the Roughriders. For his part, Judge said special teams are “definitely the strength of my game” and give him an opportunity to change a game’s momentum.

While it’s true that he’s a 28-year-old who hasn’t played in more than four years, Judge pointed out that he has “veteran knowledge” that can be of some use as he attempts to restart his football career. That said, he admitted he has to work on his conditioning.

“I need to do some running because I’ve never played on a Canadian field before,” Judge said. “It’s a little bigger. I realize that there’s going to be a little more running involved, a little longer distances. But I think I’ll be able to keep up. I’ll get my football wind back in (training) camp.”

If he does land a job with the Roughriders, Judge will finally get to play alongside his little brother. Until now, Chris has only been able to watch Cameron from afar — but he has liked what he has seen.

“I can’t even say how proud of him I am,” Chris said. “It has been so heartwarming to watch his journey. He’s such a hard-working kid, he’s just going to get better and better and better.

“Being able to share in that progress with him, it’s awesome.”