The Saskatchewan Roughriders find themselves at the centre of yet another controversy after a report from 3Down Nation alleged the team worked out former college and NFL star Johnny Manziel in January prior to the Senior Bowl.
Since Manziel is on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ negotiation list, a workout with the Riders would be a violation of CFL rules.
“We are investigating,” the league’s director of communications Paulo Senra said in a statement provided to Sportsnet. “The Riders tell us that they did not work out Manziel. So at this point, it appears the report is false. Should other evidence come to light, we will deal with it accordingly.”
Chris Jones, Saskatchewan’s head coach, GM and VP of football operations, denied the allegations with the following statement: “The Saskatchewan Roughriders have not held or attended a workout involving Johnny Manziel. With that, I will not be commenting further on the report.”
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If the report turns out to be true, it’s unclear at this point what the possible punishment will be but this wouldn’t the first time the Riders have broken league rules. The team was fined and had its salary cap reduced during the 2016 season for practising with ineligible players.
Manziel was selected 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2014. He went 2-6 in eight career starts with the Browns, throwing for 1,675 yards, seven touchdowns, seven interceptions with a 74.4 QB rating in 15 total appearances from 2014-2015. He also rushed for 259 yards and one touchdown but fumbled the ball seven times.
The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner had been surrounded by off-field controversy throughout his pro career. The 24-year-old came to a deal with prosecutors this past November on a conditional dismissal of a misdemeanour domestic assault charge stemming from an alleged incident with an ex-girlfriend. Manziel has also admittedly struggled with substance abuse. He was released by the Browns following the 2015 season, but has stated his desire to return to football.
