Four Riders suffer suspected season-ending Achilles injuries ahead of training camp
Four member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders were sidelined with long-term injuries during a workout session in Regina on Thursday.
Defensive players Nelson Lokombo, Freddie Bishop and Larry Dean, and running back Jonathan Femi-Cole, all suffered Achilles injuries during the third and final day of workouts ahead of training camp, which is scheduled to begin on Saturday.
“We feel terrible about this,” said Riders’ general manager Jeremy O’Day. “Our players work very hard to get back to playing football. They've been very excited to be back in a stadium. Our heart goes out to those players that that were injured.”
O’Day said he believes all four injuries are season-ending, but the players are still being evaluated by medical staff.
The players were hurt in short time span during the workout, which resulted in trainers dealing with the injuries at the same time, according to O’Day. He said players were participating in drills he described as “nothing out of the ordinary” when the injuries happened.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, coaches and personal staff weren’t permitted at the unofficial practice. O’Day said the purpose of the workouts was to prepare players for football and called it an opportunity “to ramp them up until they’re practicing like normal.”
“To see this many of those injuries happen in such a short period of time is concerning,” he said.
The CFL season was cancelled in 2020 and players haven’t played in meaningful games since November 2019. The GM said time off could be a factor.
“In all my years of playing football, I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” said O’Day, who played 13 seasons in the CFL before joining the Riders’ front office as assistant GM in 2011.
Defensive back Lokombo was picked second overall by the Riders in the 2021 CFL draft. Dean, a linebacker, and Bishop, a defensive lineman, were both expected to takeover starting jobs on the Riders defensive unit.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Breast cancer screening should start at age 40, Canadian Cancer Society says
The Canadian Cancer Society says all provinces and territories should lower the starting age for breast cancer screening to 40.
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels is on the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Canadian-Israeli man shot dead in Egypt; claim links killing to Gaza
A Canadian man 'of Jewish Israeli descent' has been shot dead in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in a suspected criminal case, a security source said, while a previously unknown militant group said it carried out the attack in reaction to the war in Gaza.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Bank of Canada says financial system is stable, but risks remain
The Bank of Canada says the Canadian financial system is stable, but risks remain due to debt servicing costs among households and businesses and stretched valuations of financial assets.
BREAKING Sheldon Keefe out as head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.