Kyran Moore helps out communities, welcomes new daughter during pandemic

Kyran Moore was kept busy during the cancelled 2020 CFL season.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders slotback embraced a new role last October, welcoming his daughter Honor into the world.

“She was born Oct. 22 so her first birthday is actually coming up,” Moore said ahead of the Riders’ game with the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday. Kickoff for the game is set for 5 p.m.

“(Life has) changed a lot. I’m not by myself anymore, I can’t focus on myself and I’ve got to take care of a whole other life. It brought my motivation up as far as (why I’m) coming (to the CFL) and playing ball.”

Moore also learned some new skills during the time off, and not for his football career.

“It took me a minute to find out how to change diapers. I probably didn’t change her diaper until like the second or third day because I didn’t know how,” Moore said. “It’s definitely a blessing.”

During the pandemic, and with a need for a job with no football to be played, Moore joined KikStart Inc. – a non-profit organization that helped deliver meals to daycares.

“We’d give them breakfast, lunch and a snack. We started to expand as the pandemic got worse and we started to expand to low-income places. We probably had at least 50 to 75 different spots that we had to hit just to serve food and help people out in their time of need,” Moore said.

The community work started in Bessemer, Ala. — Moore’s hometown – but expanded to places like Birmingham.

“It meant a lot to me because we were in some places that people say you probably shouldn’t go. We went there to serve food and see how the people are,” he said. “The graciousness they had and the conversations we had, it just was a different feeling.

“You get a chance to meet people and they talk bad about where they stay at but when you actually get in the community and meet the people, it’s a whole different experience.”

Moore worked with the organization from January 2020 until April of 2021.

But while Moore enjoyed what he was doing off the field, he was anxious to get back on it.

While Moore had to wait for the CFL to return, he did get a tryout with the NFL’s New York Giants near the end of 2020.

He wasn’t offered a contract to play south of the border, but Moore enjoyed the experience.

“They gave me some good feedback to keep working and doing what I do and I’m on their radar. They also said that I was on a couple of other teams’ radar as well,” Moore said. “(They told me to improve) with my technique on routes.”

With that advice in his mind, Moore returned to the field along with the rest of the Riders for the 2021 season. Moore was hoping to build on a 2019 season that saw him catch 78 passes for 996 yards and six touchdowns.

So far through seven games in 2021, Moore has caught 43 balls for 371 yards and two touchdowns.

Moore has quickly become a veteran presence in the Saskatchewan receiving room with injuries to slotback Jordan Williams-Lambert and wide receiver Shaq Evans.

“This is probably one of my best seasons – maybe not for me putting up numbers, but just being the leader in the room,” Moore said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys playing and seeing them go out there and make a name for themselves, that means a lot to me, just seeing them go out there and having fun and showing the world what they can do.”

One of the younger players who has impressed Moore has been slotback Brayden Lenius. The second-season CFL has caught 22 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns.

“I always knew he had potential so we came back for camp and he had the best camp out of everybody,” Moore said. “He took it up a whole other level. The plays he is making out here on game day is not shocking.”

Moore has also noticed a different level of confidence from quarterback Cody Fajardo, who entered 2021 as the undisputed starter for the first time in his CFL career.

“Having to do it (in 2019) and coming in being the starter, I see he is more comfortable and confident,” Moore said. “We had the injury to Shaq and we have had different receivers – mostly young – had to step up and some quarterbacks would probably take a step back when their all-star receiver goes down but Cody has been in there and playing like Cody.”

The Riders are sitting 5-2 and sit in second place in the CFL’s West Division.

The Green and White have a pivotal three games up coming as they try to clinch a playoff spot, with a trio of games against the Stampeders on the docket.

“We’re going into playoff mode,” Moore said. “We’ve got Calgary and we’re in playoff mode – we’ve got to go in and try to win all three games.”

But while his focus is 100 per cent on Saturday’s game, he is looking forward to the Riders’ next bye week so he can head home and see his daughter.

“It’s crazy because our bye week is a week before my daughter’s first birthday so I’m going to go down there for that week and spend some time with her and go ahead and give her some of her birthday gifts,” Moore said.