‘Life got a little bit sweeter’: Fajardo returns to Riders after birth of son

Cody Fajardo has been studying a new playbook for the past nine months and now it’s time to put the game plan into action.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ quarterback and his wife Laura welcomed their first son, Luca, on Wednesday morning. In April, Fajardo told the Green Zone he’d been reading books about raising children in preparation for his son’s arrival.

“Life got a little bit sweeter and we are very happy and blessed that he’s here and healthy,” Fajardo said after Thursday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium.

Fajardo left Tuesday’s workout early after being told by the team’s director of communications, Arielle Zerr, that it was time to go.

“I got emotional and she came to me and talked to me,” Fajardo said. “She actually came back into the locker room and was like, ‘Is everything OK?’ and I said I blacked out. I had no idea what she said. I just knew I had to get to the hospital.”

The 30-year-old pivot missed practice Wednesday, but was back on the field Thursday to prepare for Friday’s CFL game against the Edmonton Elks at Mosaic Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. The Green Zone pre-game show begins at 5 p.m.

“All the guys have his back and are so excited for him. (I) gave him a handshake and a hug when he came in,” guard Evan Johnson said. “As a father myself, I was excited to see him go through the process and get the opportunity as well.”

Fajardo admitted he was feeling good to be back on the field with his teammates after the past few days.

“I’m just excited to be a dad. I feel like I’ve got some dad strength going. We had a workout today and I felt a little bit stronger today,” Fajardo said.

Fajardo was also given some advice about his new role by his teammates.

“Sleep has been the biggest one; try to get as much sleep as you can,” Fajardo said. “The best advice I got is to cherish the little moments because it goes extremely fast.”

While Fajardo is excited to spend time with his newborn son during the team’s bye week next week, the focus is on trying to fend off an Elks team that is fighting for its playoff life.

The Riders enter the game with a 6-7-0 record, good enough for fourth place in the West Division. That’s ahead of only the 3-10-0 Elks.

Both teams have struggled recently, posting identical 2-6-0 records since July 14.

“It’s getting down to the nitty gritty and we’re going to have to win some football games here to put ourselves in a position to punch our ticket to the playoffs,” Fajardo said.