'We're back': Saskatchewan Roughriders react to CFL return to play
Rider Nation could be returning to Mosaic Stadium in August after the CFL announced the 2021 season is slated to start on Aug. 5.
The CFL’s board of governors approved the start date and 14-game schedule Monday.
In a letter to fans posted on the team’s website, Saskatchewan Roughriders’ president and CEO Craig Reynolds declared that the “football drought is finally over.”
Reynolds said he anticipates the return to the field will be emotional for everyone.
“It’s just going to mean so much to our fans and I’ve just thought about them constantly,” said Reynolds during a press conference.
“I’m just looking forward to being back in the stadium with them and celebrating with them.”
Reynolds said the Riders have some unfinished business to attend to this season after failing to book their ticket to the Grey Cup in November 2019.
Players will arrive in the province in a few weeks and training camp will start in Regina on July 10 after a quarantine and testing period, said Reynolds.
Wide receiver Shaq Evans shared his excitement on Twitter. Evans said it’s been a tough year, but the league’s return is a blessing.
In an interview with CTV News, Evans said the unknown has been one of the hardest parts of the year-and-a-half-long off-season, so having a date to get back on the field is an exciting development.
“The main feeling would just be thankfulness. I’d just be thankful that I’m back out there and able to do what I love in front of some of the best fans in the world,” said Evans.
In the off-season, Evans used his Twitter to encourage fans to go get their COVID-19 vaccine, tweeting he had talks with teammates, staff and medical professionals about the safety and effectiveness of the shot.
Reynolds also encouraged fans to get their vaccine in his letter Monday. He said the club is in regular communication with the province about what a return to play at Mosaic Stadium will look like.
“We want you back in the stadium. It’s you, Rider Nation, that makes when we do so very special,” wrote Reynolds.
Capacity restrictions will be lifted once the province enters phase three of its reopening plan, which will be triggered when 70 per cent of people age 18 and older receive their first dose of the vaccine.
The 14-game schedule is expected to be released Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.