REGINA -- There is plenty of uncertainty surrounding the start of the 2020 CFL season, according to Saskatchewan Roughriders general manager Jeremy O'Day.
Working from home, O’Day addressed the media via video conference call. He says to the best of his knowledge, the Riders staff and players are healthy during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Our Biggest concern is for the health and safety of players, to give them info on the virus and guidelines they can adhere too,” O’Day said. “They’re remaining as patient as they can be.”
On Monday, the CFL announced it would be postponing training camp, originally scheduled to begin May 15. O’Day doesn’t have any indication on when training camp might be rescheduled for.
“The league is going through contingency planning and preparing for basically every scenario that could happen. I’m not going to speculate on what I think or when I think is the right timing because I honestly don’t know the answer to that,” says O’Day.
The CFL Draft is still scheduled to go ahead April 30, but the East and West Combines were cancelled due to Covid-19.
The GM says the players, through their agents, have gotten creative with showing teams their football talent.
O’Day says working from home, he’s “still doing a lot of film work and evaluation in the games,” and will use that film study to evaluate potential CFL prospects.
At this time, O’Day isn’t sure if training camp, when it does eventually take place, will be shortened or not. The GM said he is comfortable with the team in place because they are a veteran group, but knows the younger less experienced players will be at a disadvantage.
“You do feel for the younger players if it’s a shortened training camp because they’re going to have less time to impress.”
