Humbled Finch returns after serving suspension
Coach welcomes back kick returner who tested positive for banned substance
Roy Finch doesn’t hesitate when asked about his current state of mind.
Returning to the practice field after a two-game suspension received for testing positive for a banned substance (D-amphetamine), the Calgary Stampeders kick returner was open about where his head is at.
Yes, it was rough being suspended, but no, it didn’t break him.
“I’m blessed, the two weeks off were really humbling,” Finch said Monday from McMahon Stadium, where he was practising with his teammates for the first time since his positive test was announced June 26. The Stamps play the Alouettes in Montreal on Friday.
“I was in my playbook, still training. I’m just glad to be back, glad that the situation is behind me. I took the necessary precautions and I’m just glad to be back.”
From Day 1, there’s been no suggestion that there was any malice involved in Finch’s actions. The d-amphetamine was in his system because he was taking medication to treat attention deficit disorder, and there’s been no implication that he was trying to cheat.
It happened, he should have been more careful, and he promises he will be.
“Yeah, for me, time served,” said Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson. “He’s doing well today, it’s good to see him back out here. He has a lot of energy and we’re happy to get him back.”
While Finch was open about taking medication to deal with his attention deficit disorder, he said Monday that he would prefer to “keep it in-house, keep it within my family and the coaches and doctors and the people who really understand the situation, rather than speaking much about the issue publicly.”
Finch did reiterate, though, that he’s taken all necessary precautions to ensure there is never a positive test.
For the most part, though, Finch is just eager to get back on the football field with the teammates who supported him.
“My teammates are behind me,” Finch said. “I gave my statement and they were all behind me and supported me. They put their arms around me and loved me as a brother, the same way I would do for them. Treat your brother as you wanted to be treated.”
Finch’s return doesn’t necessarily mean that Terry Williams will be sent back to the practice roster. Williams filled in well for the Stamps in Finch’s absence and proved he could be a serious threat on offence against the Bombers, catching three passes for 64 yards.
“We’re thinking about having some dual threat,” Dickenson said. “Other guys in our return game are injured, as well. So it gives us a chance to potentially have the speed back there and also the shiftiness.
“Roy’s going to play, it’s just a matter of whether I’m going to get Terry on, and right now I’m thinking that could happen.”
Alex Singleton and Charleston Hughes didn’t participate in drills at Monday’s practice, but Dickenson suggested afterwards that both players would be ready for Friday’s game against the Alouettes.
“I think both will play,” Dickenson said. “We’ve got to be smart with them. Honestly, it was a little bit of a wet field. We were a little worried on footing and that sort of stuff, so they should be in the lineup.”
Hughes missed the Stampeders’ Week 3 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but word from the team’s coaching staff was that they were exercising caution with last year’s sack leader.
Singleton, meanwhile, currently has the second-most tackles of any player in the CFL.
Dickenson also said Tunde Adeleke was “50-50” to practice on Tuesday. The rookie punt returner left Friday’s game in the first half, but his undisclosed injury doesn’t sound as if it’s expected to keep him out long-term.