The Toronto Argonauts signed a new running back this week who showed the team of hefty football players how to inspire, win battles and what it really means to be tough.
Meet Darius Raso of Kleinburg, Ont.: seven years old, four feet tall, and weighing in at 50 pounds.
Darius, an avid sports fan, has been battling acute lymphocytic leukemia for a year and undergoing chemotherapy at Toronto鈥檚 Sick Kids Hospital. His most recent treatment was only a week earlier, but that did not stop him from taking on the entire Argos team in practice.
"We are thrilled to add a player of Raso鈥檚 stature to our roster," general manager Jim Popp said.
For one day this week, Raso signed with the Toronto team and took part in meetings, stretches, and got locker room tips. Raso also practiced with the team, who could not keep up as he raced through the entire stumbling . It was a promising start ahead of his against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sept 2.
Raso drew the attention of retired CFL players and the Argos team earlier this month when he attended his first CFL game holding a sign that read, 鈥淗ey ARGOS. I鈥檓 Beating CANCER. So Beat the Bombers鈥�.
The Argos, who had been winless until running back James Wilder Jr. pulled Raso onto the field, won the game and declared Raso their .
"He鈥檚 our biggest star on the team, obviously. He looks at us for inspiration, but he鈥檚 fighting the real battle. He鈥檚 the real champion. We look at him for inspiration," Wilder said.
"We鈥檙e fighting through a season. If we wanted to, we can give up and quit 鈥� He doesn鈥檛 have that option, so he鈥檚 the true fighter. Him coming out, telling his story to the whole team was an inspiration for us all."
