Fajardo excited to get back to Saskatchewan and get CFL season underway

Cody Fajardo expects it will be an emotional night when he runs out of the tunnel for the first time in 628 days on Aug. 6.

“I might cry,” the Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback said Tuesday. “At my wedding, I told myself I didn’t think I was going to cry when my wife walked down the aisle. I bawled like a baby. I didn’t think I was a crier but in these emotional situations like this, I can find myself getting a little teary-eyed.

“The hardest thing about that game is going to be going from an emotional roller-coaster of coming out and seeing fans in the stands to getting hit for the first time.”

That matchup against the B.C. Lions will be the first time the Roughriders have played since Nov. 17, 2019 — a 20-13 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the West Division final. The 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID-19.

The CFL board of governors met Monday and unanimously voted in favour of starting the 2021 season on Aug. 5.

“It was almost like is it too good to be true when you’re reading the news just because of all the stuff that we’ve been through over the last year and a half,” Fajardo said. “My phone blew up. I had like 60-some text messages and 30-some phone calls.

“It just goes to show how passionate not only the Rider fans are but also my family and friends. All of the people who have been waiting to see me play football again were just fired up. I got a call from (general manager Jeremy O’Day) and you could tell in his voice he was fired up.

“It was great to be talking about travel plans back to Saskatchewan. It’s great to talk about football but when you’re truly talking about travel plans to fly up and talk about training camp, you know it’s a go.”

Fajardo said he doesn’t know what sort of restrictions and guidelines players will need to follow when they arrive for training camp, which is set to begin July 10.

But no matter what is asked of him, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to hit the field.

“I don’t care how many hoops I have to jump through; if I’m playing football, I am a happy camper. If I have to take 50 tests in a week, I’ll take 50 tests in a week because I just want to play some football. It has been too long,” Fajardo said.

While he is excited to get back to Canada, Fajardo says the one positive to come from the COVID-19 pandemic was how much time he was able to spend with his wife.

“We’re used to seeing each other for six months and then six months off with her in school and me in Canada,” Fajardo said. “Now when I head up to Canada, yes, I’m going to miss her but it’s not like we didn’t get to spend two years together with just us two.”

And he can’t wait to see a few familiar faces in Green and White, including all the members of the offensive line.

“It feels good when you are the quarterback and you’ve got these big 6-foot-4, 300-pound guys, you feel like you’re the president. I’m protected at all times,” Fajardo said.

You can view the entire Roughriders’ schedule here.

Roughriders sign linebacker Deon Lacey

The Roughriders added to their linebacker corps Tuesday.

Deon Lacey was announced as the newest signing by the Roughriders.

Lacey spent four seasons in the NFL from 2017 to 2020 with the Miami Dolphins. He recorded 21 tackles in 53 games in the NFL.

Before that, Lacey played with Edmonton for three CFL seasons. He appeared in 54 games and tallied 114 defensive tackles, 68 special-teams tackles, seven sacks, four forced fumbles, three interceptions and one touchdown.

He was named an all-star in 2014 and helped Edmonton win the Grey Cup in 2015.

Lacey signed with the Riders for the 2020 season but opted out of his deal to pursue NFL opportunities due to the CFL season being cancelled.