Here are the 5 former Riders drafted into the new XFL
Five players who spent time with the Saskatchewan Roughriders are taking their shot at the XFL when the league relaunches under new ownership in 2023.
The current iteration of the XFL began in 2020 before being forced to cancel its season partway through due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A new ownership group that includes Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took over later that same year, holding their start up draft last week.
Most of the former Riders selected were only with the team for less than one season.
K.D. Cannon – D.C. Defenders:
With a pick that showed an inclination for initials, 27-year-old wide receiver K.D. Cannon was selected by the D.C. Defenders in the third round.
Cannon played in six games for Saskatchewan in 2018 and 2019. In his second season, he caught 11 of 12 passes for 149 receiving yards but did not mark a receiving touchdown during his CFL run.
Rashard Davis – Seattle Sea Dragons:
Another wide receiver who wore green and white in a few regular season games, 27-year-old Rashard Davis was taken by the Seattle Sea Dragons in the seventh round of the XFL draft.
Davis only spent one season in Saskatchewan, appearing in four games and catching one of three passes for 12 yards.
Dieuly Aristilde - Orlando Guardians:
Signing with the Roughriders in May, 25-year-old Dieuly Aristilde Jr. will now try his hand at receiver for the XFL’s Orlando Guardians.
Selected by the Guardians in the tenth round, Aristilde was cut by the Riders in July after several preseason appearances and one regular season game where he did not record a catch.
A.J. Hendy – Houston Roughnecks:
Defensive back A.J. Hendy is now a member of the Houston Roughnecks, drafted in the 14th round.
This is not Hendy’s first XFL stint: he was a member of the New York Guardians in the league’s previous iteration before signing with the Roughriders for 2021.
During that season, he made 14 defensive tackles over 11 games and recorded one interception.
Hendy re-signed with Saskatchewan in March 2022 but did not make it past the final round of roster cuts in June.
Tommy Champion - Houston Roughnecks:
Offensive lineman Tommy Champion never played a regular season game with the Roughriders, but now he’ll try and become a staple of the Roughnecks offensive line.
Champion did appear in the 2022 CFL preseason, but was cut by the Riders in June.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.