The Hot Seat- Burhan Gorgani

SAFL: Burhan, thanks for taking your time to join us. You are officially on the Hot Seat.

Burhan: No problem thanks for having me.

SAFL: Let’s start with this:

Tell us a little bit about yourself:

Burhan: 

Age: 26

Profession: Marketing and Production Manager for Atlas Floral Decorators. We are a floral and decoration company that can handle events/parties of all sizes - from linen to props to lighting to the finest flowers in the world.

 Hobbies: Playing sports, Love to fish never have time anymore though, chilling with my friends, watching repeats of old shows from the 90’s.

SAFL: What were your favorite sports watching/playing growing up?

Burhan: My favorite sport growing up and even now is Lacrosse. I started playing when I was really young and growing up in Long Island you pick it up because so many people play it. Maybe if there is enough interest we can start the South Asian Lacrosse League (SALL) that would be awesome. I played football throughout middle and high school along with being on the wrestling team and track team. Favorite sport to watch has to be the NFL. You’re watching the best athletes in the world making ridiculous plays week in and week out. Nothing is better then that.

SAFL: How did you become the Commish?

Burhan: As we all know Anwar Sadat was the commissioner of the league in its inaugural season last year. Anwar went above and beyond to make the league legit and he did an excellent job of keeping the league interesting with all the articles, pictures and videos. As season 2 was approaching Anwar informed captains and other league officials that he was going to pursue career opportunities in another part of the country. So I expressed interest in possibly taking over. A few weeks later, after talking with the interim commissioner, Farhan Qureshi, I decided that I would be the commissioner. Farhan really did an excellent job of helping me transition into the role so I give him a lot of credit and respect. We all want the league to be successful and everyone does their part in making it successful.  

SAFL: What's the biggest challenge with being the Commish?

Burhan: I think the biggest challenge so far has been dealing with the referees. We tried a new set of referees for the first few weeks of the season and I felt it didn't work out at all. I was hearing a lot of complaints from players and captains about how the refs weren't doing a good job. They felt that the refs weren't being proactive enough to make sure they would get the right call. So it was tough to tell the refs that they weren't up to the standard and that we were going in a different direction especially when the guys are really stand-up guys. But throughout it all I think the league is better off and guys in the league are much happier with the new set of refs we've been using for the last 2 weeks.

SAFL: Considering u play for the Bandits, how do you balance being competitive while being impartial?

Burhan: It’s definitely not easy to be impartial when you’re not only the commissioner but also a player in the league who plays for a competitive team. I never believed in unfair advantages and I don’t feel that the Bandits or any team in the league need any advantages because the guys in the league are great athletes and what makes the league great is that it is fair and impartial. I know the guys wouldn't feel comfortable taking advantage of situations that they can take advantage of. They wouldn't feel right about it and neither would I. I feel like I've done a pretty good job so far of not taking advantage of the league and being as impartial as possible.

SAFL: Do you think you have improved the league from last year?

Burhan: I definitely think I have improved the league but I really can’t take all the credit. I took a lot of suggestions from other members of the league about how to make the league better and I took a lot of votes from the veteran guys like Razi, Atif, Farhan, Anwar, Harvey, Sakib and a lot more to see what ideas they liked and what they didn't and also how to improve on ideas. So it was collaboration and these guys put in a lot of effort behind the scenes so I have to give them credit where credit is due. I think that the website is great and we have good articles and great points of views. A lot of great talent has come into the league so it’s definitely great to be at the forefront of all these great things that are happening in the league right now.

SAFL: Bandits have added a lot of talent this season. How do you feel about the Bandits chances this year?

Burhan: I think the chances are very good this year. We added a lot of great receivers and a great QB to complement the receivers. On the receiving end we added Yamin Rahman who has been so clutch for us this year, Nadir Almakay, a strong and fast athlete who is taking the league by storm, and QB Jawed Sarwar who has lit up defenses so far and is making a case for himself as the MVP. With those guys and our core guys from last season such as Sakib, Harvey, Marc, Victor and my brothers we have a championship caliber team. We aren't getting ahead of ourselves because there are great teams in this league. Obviously Stop n Go is the team to beat, undefeated and the reigning champs and Slumdogs who are tearing up the league this year. So a lot of games to be played we are just taking it one step at a time.

SAFL: You were the QB last year. Why aren't you the QB this year?

Burhan: I faced a lot of criticism in the league last year for not being able to get the ball to certain guys on my team especially deep and it was justified. Marc and Harvey are probably the 2 fastest receivers in the league and I would under throw them a lot. So throughout the off-season I was looking for a QB to replace me. In the middle of the summer I got word that Jawed Sarwar, former QB of the Outlaws and former member of the Spartans, had become available so I called him and we had a couple of throwing sessions and he really impressed me so he became our QB.

SAFL: Was it difficult for you to relinquish that role for the good of the team?

Burhan: Not at all. I felt that I did what I had to do to make sure that the team is successful. Even though we are out here to have fun we are also out here to win games and ultimately win championships. In my opinion, Jawed is the guy that can lead us to our ultimate goal.  

SAFL: Give me your top 3 picks in an open SAFL draft.

Burhan: Not including anyone on my team…Jobin George, Suleman Tariq and Mike Chu.

SAFL: Tell me where the following players on your team rank amongst their position in the league:

Burhan:

QB – Jawed Sarwar- I would rank him in the Top 3 in the league. Smart, great arm and he can run.

WR – Marc Flynn- # 1 hands down.

Best Defender- Sakib Hassan- Top 2 in the league. Dude brings an amazing ability to break down offenses and his work ethic and what he sacrifices for the team is unmatched by anyone.

SAFL: Is there a team that you look forward to playing?

Burhan: I gotta say I really enjoy our games against Empire. We have such a great rivalry with them stemming back from the SAFL playoffs last season. It’s good to have rivals in the league it makes you play a little extra hard and it can turn a whole season around.

SAFL: A team you are intimidated to play against?

Burhan: :/ Come on mann…

SAFL: Haha ok will let you off on that last one. Burhan, thank you for joining us. You are officially off the Hot Seat.