Olympic champion Brad Jacobs returns to curling
CBC
Brad Jacobs is back.
Speaking exclusively to CBC Sports' That Curling Show, Jacobs announced he's returning to professional curling as a part of Team Carruthers.
The news comes just a couple of months after Jacobs spared as third for Reid Carruthers at a Grand Slam event in Camrose, Alta. — Carruthers just a couple of weeks earlier announced he was parting ways with Jason Gunnlaugson and started looking for a replacement.
Jacobs, 37, who won the 2014 Olympic gold medal, says he felt immediately comfortable as a part of the team in Camrose and can't wait to get next season started.
"I'm ready to get back in this thing full swing and there's a really good opportunity with Team Carruthers," Jacobs said on the show.
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To be clear, Jacobs says he never once used the term retired from curling.
"I am no Tom Brady. I never once used that word, just for the record," he said laughing.
"It's been an interesting season for myself and obviously Reid. We played in Camrose and had a lot of fun. I didn't really want to enter back in the men's game until at least 2023. I certainly didn't expect to play this year, but Reid needed a guy and I was available."
Fans will get a first look at this now official team at the Players' Championship Slam at the beginning of April in Toronto. Jacobs will also play with Carruthers at the Champions Cup to close out the Slam season.
The team will be keeping the same lineup as the one in Camrose going into next season. That means Jacobs, who has been a skip throughout his highly successful career that includes a 2013 Brier title, is playing third.
"I was done with that position. I know how tough it is. Every position in curling is tough but the skip position is just that much more difficult and it takes a special person and personality to be in that position for years and years successfully," Jacobs said.
"I have nothing but faith in this whole team. We have to put Reid on that pedestal and we have full faith in him."
Throughout the Brier, Carruthers skipped his team consisting of third Derek Samagalski, second Connor Njegovan and lead Rob Gordon to a respectable 4-4 record. Gordon was brought on specifically for the Brier.
