Riders’ Williams handed one-game suspension by CFL

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are down a Duke.

Receiver Duke Williams was suspended for one game by the CFL on Wednesday for ripping off the helmet of Toronto Argonauts defensive back Shaq Richardson and throwing it at him before Saturday’s Touchdown Atlantic game in Wolfville, N.S.

Richardson was handed the league’s maximum fine (half a game cheque) for initiating the confrontation with Williams by crossing into Saskatchewan’s side of midfield before the game. Richardson also punched Williams during the contest.

“Such pre-game hostilities are unacceptable and the use of a helmet as a weapon is especially dangerous,” CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a media release. “Neither is to be tolerated.”

Jeremy O’Day, the Roughriders’ general manager and vice-president of football operations, told reporters on a conference call he was “disappointed” that the altercation took place.

“Duke was not the instigator of the incident,” O’Day said. “This isn’t to point fingers. Duke was talking to a player on the other team at the time when the incident started. By no means do I agree with his reaction and he doesn’t as well.

“Obviously he’s very disappointed in what happened and let emotions get the best of him. Obviously we don’t condone it. We don’t think that it’s part of the game and it was an emotional situation where he made a mistake and you have to be accountable for your actions.”

O’Day said the Roughriders raised with the league the idea that Williams was suspended but Richardson wasn’t despite being labelled the instigator. But O’Day said they “have to respect the decision of the league.”

“They’ve got a tough job to do as well,” he said of league officials.

The veteran GM said Williams has given the Roughriders his word that another such incident won’t happen in the future.

“He’s remorseful for it and sorry that it happened,” O’Day said. “He feels bad for the way it reflects on the league, the Roughriders and, in particular, himself.”

Argos defensive lineman Eli Mencer also was handed a one-game suspension for what the league called “derogatory language towards an official” during the game.

Saskatchewan and Toronto are scheduled to resume hostilities Saturday at Mosaic Stadium. However, the Roughriders are dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak and the status of the game was unknown as of Wednesday afternoon.

Williams is the second Roughriders player to be suspended by the CFL in recent weeks. Defensive tackle Garrett Marino was slapped with a four-game ban for his actions during a game July 8 against the Ottawa Redblacks.

Speaking for the first time about the Marino suspension, O’Day reiterated the Roughriders wish Ottawa quarterback Jeremiah Masoli a speedy recovery from the injury he suffered on the low hit by Marino.

“(We’re) certainly disappointed that the injury happened and the low hit happened and obviously even more disappointed in the reaction from Garrett after the play,” O’Day said, referring to Marino’s celebration after the hit.

“It doesn’t fit the bill of the atmosphere we’re trying to create in our stadium and in our team.”

The suspensions may have cast the Roughriders in a bad light, but O’Day said the team will get through it thanks to good leadership in the locker room and in the front office.

Even so, there likely will be more situations that arise that he and the organization will have to address as the season goes on.

“We try to learn from (a situation like this), we try to grow from it and we try to made good decisions,” O’Day said. “I know there’s lots of talk, but we try to do what’s right and sometimes what we feel is right may not agree with what everyone else thinks is right. And that’s OK.

“But we are trying to make the best decisions for the team and for the organization — and they’re not easy decisions, to be honest with you.”

— With files from 980 CJME’s Britton Gray