Richards credits Roach for placing him on track to stardom

Senior Reporter/Producer

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Current World Athletics Championship silver medallist in the men’s 400 metres, Jereem Richards is one of a long list of local athletes left shell-shocked by news of the sudden passing of athlete manager and renowned businessman, Sean Roach.

Roach, 46, passed away from a reported heart attack on Monday, leaving the local athletics fraternity stunned and devastated.

When contacted by Guardian Media Sport a few hours after the news broke, Richards said, “Hearing that news today, I still honestly don’t even believe it.”

Expressing a deep sense of loss, Richards added, “It’s a hard pill to swallow. It’s just hard to believe that he’s not here anymore. Condolences go out to his family, because I know he has two kids, and I can’t even honestly imagine how his siblings and his dad are going to deal with it. I know they don’t know how to feel about it, along with all the people whose lives he’s helped and who were able to touch over the years. He was definitely a very influential person in sport.”

Roach, who was also CEO of his family business, Langston Roach Industries Ltd. and a former Chairman at TSTT, was also a former athlete before maintaining his connection to the sport by becoming a manager and agent to several local athletes.

Most notably, he has held a longstanding association with the country’s second individual Olympic gold medalist, Keshorn Walcott and has remained at his side ever since Walcott’s London 2012 heroics. Later Roach founded an athlete agency called T&T Elites.

It was through this initiative that his influence was most felt according to Richards, “He was a visionary with T&T Elites, at that point in time being the only person I knew about in Trinidad as an agent, a marketing agent that had a plan for track and field and for local athletes. Making that connection and getting meets outside and stuff like that. He was a visionary in terms of that, so it’s definitely a major loss.”

Richards first burst into the national spotlight in 2012 as a member of T&T’s bronze medal-winning men’s 4×400 metres relay team, along with Lalonde Gordon, Renny Quow and Jarrin Solomon, at the then IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Point Fortin native, then 18, credits Roach with helping advance his career around that time.

“I used to train with a club in Marbella, and I had to move from Point Fortin to then train in Arima with Abilene Wildcats. I met Sean through coach Trevor James, and I reached out to him for advice on how to transition to a different club. He offered to allow me to come and stay at Mount Hope with him, Keshorn, and Elton Walcott. He drove down to Point, spoke to my mom, and a few days later, I moved from Point Fortin to Mount Hope. Coming out of under 20s to become a senior athlete, you need to have that support. Had I not had that level of support, I might not be where I am today. I might not be running track today. Because coming from Point, that travel alone would have mashed me up, and I would have never been able to train sufficiently.”

Richards explained that after one year under Roach’s wing, the latter then assisted the athlete with being accepted to continue his schooling in the United States, first at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, in 2014, before his transfer to the University of Alabama in 2016.

“Sean has been very influential in my life in terms of making decisions, being that person who not just tried to guide me but who actually made the connections and made the opportunities actually possible for me to be able to be where I am today. He didn’t have to be so kind to me, he didn’t have to be so nice to me, and he didn’t have to provide these opportunities for me, but he did.”

Richards recounted Roach’s role in chaperoning him to the high school prom of his then girlfriend-turned wife, leading to his presence at his wedding several years later. But one of the most endearing qualities was Roach’s dedication to the service.

“Behind the scenes, he was never one to proclaim, ‘I do this, or I do that, or I help that person.’ He was always willing to help, and one thing I appreciated about him the most was that, if Sean couldn’t help you, he would find someone who could. If for some reason he couldn’t find somebody, even if it took a while, he would always come back later to find out if you were still trying to get help, and he would finally find somebody who could help you. He would never forget. Sean always knew someone; he was a good networker, a good person to call with any decision.”

The national 400m record holder said he remained close to Roach up to his passing and would frequently rely on his counsel before any major undertakings in his life and career.

“He had so much knowledge. You know how there is often one person whose opinion you seek before making a decision? Sean was that person that I would call. Because even if you think you’re right, his opinion matters so much that it could affect your decision. He has made really good decisions in his life, and he has a lot of experience in sport and outside of sport from a business standpoint. I would run any major financial decisions, track and field choices, or life decisions by Sean to see what he thinks.”