TORONTO - When he is in the Argonauts locker room, Adriano Belli knows he is among the oldest players but “feels like the youngest kid.”
It’s that feeling that is urging the 33-year-old tackle to play in what would be his 11th Canadian Football League season. But right now, he is not sure what his football future holds.
“Undetermined,” Belli said on Friday. “I’m going to be speaking with the coaches fairly shortly. I want to come back and I know they want me to.”
Belli is slated to be an unrestricted free agent on Feb. 16, but he does not have much interest in signing anywhere else. If the defensive tackle does return, it would have to be at a reduced salary, but that probably would not be a stumbling block for Belli, who is believed to have made close to $200,000 last season.
A foot injury kept Belli out of the Argos lineup for all but five games during the 2010 regular season.
“I love playing football and I love being a troublemaker,” Belli said. “Whenever I decide to walk away from this game, it is going to be hard.”
Belli, who spends lots of time throughout the year raising money for his Big Kiss Fund, which earmarks donations to the SickKids Foundation, will be at it again on Feb. 11 when he plays host to his second Big Kiss Valentine’s Day Dinner at Cirillo’s Culinary Academy in Etobicoke. Tickets, priced at $100, can be purchased at the door.
