Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
Brett Lauther was just like everyone else when it came to hearing the news about the Canadian Football League’s rule changes on Monday.
“I think it caught a lot of people pretty off guard,” said Lauther, who is in his seventh season as the Saskatchewan Roughriders kicker. “Definitely some big changes and kind of see where it goes from here.”
Lauther, who also serves as the CFL Players’ Association vice president, said there wasn’t any consultation with the players about the new rules and modifications to the CFL game, which include moving the goalposts to the back of the end zone, shortening the end zone by five yards and the field by 10 yards, modifying the rouge and introducing a 35-second running play clock.
However, unlike many former and current players including B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke who called the changes “garbage” in the media this week, Lauther’s stance is much more neutral when it comes to the decisions ultimately made by CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston.
“Stew has a job that he gets paid for (overseen by) the board of governors and this isn’t really something that has to be approved by the players,” said Lauther. “I think maybe a lot of guys think it would have probably been nice, as you know 25 per cent of the revenue gross partners there, to kind of know a little more.
“But at the end of the day, they don’t have to. They made the decision to make the changes they wanted. And for us, especially as a vice president, we’re worried about player safety growing revenue, and if this does that, there’s not much we can really complain about.”
While Lauther said he’s focused on just doing his job this season as the Roughriders (10-3) are back from the bye week and are prepared to visit the Edmonton Elks (5-9) on Saturday (5 p.m.) in Week 17 of the season, the 34-year-old Nova Scotia product can’t help but think about how these changes will look.
“At the end of the day, you’ve got to let them do their job, and if it plays out and grows revenue and maybe they have a big TV deal in their pocket, or something we don’t know about in the states that was behind this, who knows,” said Lauther. “So it’s hard to really give too much of opinion yet, but definitely big changes.”
Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris, an American who has been a CFLer since 2012, also believes the reaction garnered by the changes — including many saying the CFL is changing into the NFL — was a little heavy.
“I think maybe a bit of an overreaction yesterday by some people,” said Harris. “It’s still three downs. There’s still 12 people on the field. Field still 65 yards wide. The end zone is still bigger than 10 yards; it’s going to 15. You know, it’s still Canadian football.
“There’s still going to be onside punts and all the crazy plays and shoot I mean, it’s the same game. The only thing that changes is really just field goal returns. But the other return game hasn’t been affected. You’re always going to have kickoff returns. You’re still going to have the five-yard halo returns.
“The game has not changed. It’s still a Canadian Football League, and we’ve got nine Canadian teams in Canadian cities. We’ve got smart people at the top that know what they’re doing. We’re employees and I wouldn’t tell an employer how to run their business and what to do. And so, I’m just grateful to be in this league and have an opportunity to play in front of these fans and in this country and so I’m just grateful to be here.
“And whatever the rules are, we should adjust to them and try and trying to bend them into your advantage. I know there’s probably some people upset, but you know, it is what it is. And we have people at the top making decisions, and we have to trust that they know what they’re doing. And I’m one of those people, I trust them.”
Injury report
As the Roughriders returned to practice on Tuesday following the bye week, the Green and White had some players back from the injured list while others remain banged up.
Cornerback Marcus Sayles (leg), who missed the 48-31 loss to the Montreal Alouettes prior to the bye week, was back in his starting spot while fellow cornerback Tevaughn Campbell (head), who also missed the game, was a spectator. Benny Sapp III, who made his first start against the Alouettes, continued to get reps with the first team.
After being hurt against Montreal, defensive end Shane Ray (shoulder) was a spectator.
Along the offensive line, Zack Fry (knee) was a non-participant as Daniel Johnson got reps at left guard. And offensive lineman Philippe Gagnon (arm) was also on the practice field in full capacity for the first time this season since suffering an injury in training camp.
After being limited during practice two weeks ago, receiver Samuel Emilus (knee) was running with the starters and could be on track to return Saturday in Edmonton.
“We’ll see towards the end of the week,” said Roughriders head coach Corey Mace. “But you know, it’s, awesome to see (Emilus) out there being able to move around a little bit. But as always, we’ll just make sure we make the right decision for us.”
Tommy Nield, Ajou Ajou, KeeSean Johnson and Dohnte Meyers were the other starting receivers on Tuesday while it appears Canadian receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker (foot) is slowly making his way back to the lineup as he was a full participant for the first time since suffering an injury in Week 1.
Running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon (leg) also returned to practice in full fashion while linebackers Nick Wiebe (leg) was limited. Fellow Canadian linebacker Melique Straker (leg) didn’t practice while safety Nelson Lokombo (ankle) remained a spectator along with fellow safety Jaxon Ford (knee) as Kosi Onyeka continued to get the reps with the starting group.
Riders add defensive end
The Roughriders added an American defensive end to the roster on Monday as Chico Bennett Jr. signed with the club.
The 6-foot-4, 256-pounder recently attended Philadelphia Eagles rookie mini-camp after three seasons with the University of Virginia, where he had 107 tackles and eight sacks in 33 games from 2022-24. Prior to playing for the Cavaliers, Bennett suited up for Georgia Tech from 2019-20.
tshire@postmedia.com
