Stavros Katsantonis is a renaissance man of sorts — a University of British Columbia psychology graduate who sold real estate in Idaho and worked as a marketing intern for the Hamilton-based steel giant Stelco.
On the football field, Katsantonis is always looking for the next chance to snag an interception or deliver a crushing hit. Off it, he’s scanning the horizon for the next opportunity to better position himself for the day he can no longer play football for a living.
That mindset led Katsantonis to learn all about the business side of football last week as a participant in the CFL’s Mentorship Program.
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Initially, Katsantonis planned to wait to apply for the program. After all, he’s in the prime of his career at age 29. And he’s coming off his best season statistically with career-highs in tackles (69) and interceptions (six) for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
“Part of me was like, maybe let’s do it next year,” he said. “But the other part was like, no, you should do this.
“There’s never a wrong time to think about your future after football, because, as we know in the sport, all it takes is one play and that could be the end, right?”
With that in mind, Katsantonis is exploring his options to stay in the game long after he hangs up his shoulder pads.
Conducted in tandem with the CFL Players’ Association, the mentorship program welcomes players to the league office for professional development and a behind-the-scenes look at the business side of the game.
The 2026 class featured Katsantonis, Calgary offensive lineman Bryce Bell, Toronto linebacker Jack Cassar, free agent quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, Winnipeg linebacker Redha Kramdi, Calgary defensive lineman Folarin Orimolade, and offensive lineman Landon Rice, who is also a free agent.
The players met with subject matter experts in departments such as Football Operations, Social Media and Content, Partnerships, Marketing and Communications and Data Insights.
“The one that caught my mind the most was the marketing side of partnerships,” Katsantonis said. “Just to see all the great things that the league is doing on that front, and the actual time and effort that goes into these partnership deals with these new brands that want to work with the CFL, they want to work with players — it’s been fun.”
STAVROS HAS GOT IT!
Stavros Katsantonis intercepts it to get it back for Ticats.
🗓️: @Ticats vs. REDBLACKS LIVE NOW
🇨🇦: TSN, RDS
🌎: CFL+#CFL pic.twitter.com/GuSaDx62oY— CFL (@CFL) July 20, 2025
Katsantonis and his colleagues also visited the TSN studios for a behind-the-scenes look at the CFL ON TSN broadcast.
“I always was fascinated by broadcasting and the colour commentary and how the panel works,” he said. “It feels very similar to the feeling I get when I’m playing football. It just feels like home. You get that kind of giddy butterfly feeling that you do when it’s game day or when you’re in the locker room with your buddies.
“I was always the kid in school that would talk a little bit too much in class and get in trouble. It’s funny when you look back now – your teacher would say, ‘Do you think you could get paid for talking for a living?’ as a joke. And now I’m thinking about, oh, I might be able to get paid talking for a living one day.”
On Friday, the players finished the program by helping out at the CFL Invitational Combine at the University of Waterloo.
Moving forward, each player will be paired with an individual mentor for ongoing advice and guidance on furthering their off-field careers.
“I just couldn’t see myself not doing something football‑related,” Kasantonis said. “I want to give back in some way.
“People talk about degrees and stuff like that. I would say I have a PhD in football, and I don’t want to waste that.”
