The Ottawa Redblacks won their matchup with Winnipeg on Saturday afternoon, but nearly lost the season when Bombers defensive end Jamaal Westerman hit Henry Burris low in the second quarter. (Fast forward to the 4:50 mark of the recap here to get your own look at the hit.)
After the game Westerman told reporters there was no malice behind the hit, but this isn’t the first time he’s brushed up against the dividing line between aggressive play and dirty play—he’s been fined three different times already this season, most recently for unnecessary roughness in a loss to Calgary.
In this edition of the roundtable, Sportsnet’s CFL insiders tackle the question:
Do Burris and the Ottawa Redblacks have a right to be mad at Westerman? Was the hit on Burris’s knee dirty?
DONNOVAN BENNETT: Defenders are scrutinized when they hit too high and vilified when they hit too low. It’s an unfair paradigm. In this case, Westerman was being blocked shortly before he made contact and never seemed to have great footing on the play. In a game where everything happens in milliseconds it’s tough to say with certainty that a defender intended to cause injury.
JUSTIN DUNK: Ottawa does have reason to be upset with Westerman. Although, when live bullets are flying it’s all about playing hard and fast, and if you get off balance while being blocked low hits can happen. Even if Winnipeg’s Canadian sack artist didn’t intentionally hit Burris low—only he knows the truth—with all the below-the-waist contact that has been made and hurt quarterbacks this season, Westerman should’ve known better and avoided Burris at all costs.
ARASH MADANI: Well, Burris felt the hit was unintentional. But was it dirty? Absolutely. It’s a slippery slope: Yes, Westerman has been flagged and fined for unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct during the season. He plays the game with an edge, and to the absolute limits of the rule. But, while the hit was dirty, Westerman is not a dirty player. Matter of fact, there hasn’t been a Canadian player with a bigger impact in his first year in the league than him playing the game—in many ways—the right way.
JAMIE THOMAS: Even though Westerman doesn’t have a clean record so far this season, I don’t believe he intentionally hit Henry Burris low and thus should not be suspended or fined. Adding to that is Burris saying he felt it wasn’t intentional. Good enough for me.