While the Rider Nation debated over possible roles for Shomari Williams, whom the Saskatchewan Roughriders were expected to take first overall in the CFL Canadian Draft, veteran Riders linebacker Mike McCullough already had his soon-to-be teammate's first job lined up."Maybe I can have a rookie to get me my drinks during training camp," McCullough joked in an interview Saturday. "That would be nice."McCullough and Roughriders radio play-by-play man Rod Pederson were the guest speakers at Estevan Minor Football's annual fundraising dinner and auction, which raised approximately $17,000 for the third-year organization.Hours before the dinner the Roughriders had completed a trade with the Toronto Argonauts, acquiring the first overall pick in Sunday's draft.And, as expected, they used the pick to select Williams, who also played linebacker for Queen's University."There's always job security but if that's what you're worried about then you're not going to be around very long," said McCullough, who is entering his eighth season with the Riders. "You just have to go out and do what you do and hope that they still want you."If they're done with me, they're done with me and hopefully they're not, but that's the name of the game."Pederson, entering his 12th season on the mic for the team, came not just to talk about football but also, surprisingly to some, about drugs."In 2006 the RCMP came to me because they felt there wasn't enough messages in schools to kids about anti-drugs," he said. " We flew to Vancouver with six of the Pats and toured East Hastings, which is the most crime-ravaged area in North America."We brought that tape home and then we've been showing it to kids and sports teams, so when the RCMP heard I was coming down here they said would you mind taking the DVD for the kids that are going to be at the dinner and showing them."It's a fight that we wage every day and sometimes you wonder whether you're winning or not, but you can never give up and Estevan's going to hear that tonight."Pederson, whose broadcasts take a decidedly pro-Saskatchewan approach, is withholding judgment of this year's Roughriders for the time being, suggesting only that the panic over the recent influx of former Winnipeg Blue Bombers is probably overblown."God love Riders fans, but they hate Winnipeg so much they kind of can't take those glasses off and say Doug Berry's a good football person, Brendan Taman's a good football person," said Pederson. "All the guys that we brought in are quality people but they're just so upset that we've got these guys from Winnipeg here."They have had such a terrible track record in the last decade winning-wise, but I don't have a problem with it. I've known Brendan a really long time and have a lot of respect for Doug Berry."But if you ask me my thoughts, let's wait until November and then we'll look back and see whether it worked or not. But at least let them sit back and do their thing."
