No suspension for hit on Stingers QB Miller
The Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec has ruled that Gabriel Ouellet of the Université Laval Rouge et Or won’t be suspended for a hit on Concordia Stingers quarterback Trenton Miller during a game Sept. 24.
The RSEQ ruled that there was no head contact with Miller and that the hit was within the established rules. Given that Miller “had become a ball carrier on this sequence, he was no longer considered in a vulnerable position,” the RSEQ said in a statement. “It was not an illegal tackle and there was no intention to injure.”
Miller, a native of Buffalo who’s in his final year of eligibility, suffered what appeared to be a concussion in the third quarter of last Sunday’s 12-8 road loss to the Rouge et Or. As he was scrambling on the play, the six-foot-two, 225-pound Miller was hit on the left side of his head by Laval defender Ouellet.
A Facebook video posted by Miller, in which he pleads for RSEQ officials to be more vigilant with player safety, went viral this week.
Later, on the game’s penultimate play, Concordia receiver James Tyrrell caught a 23-yard pass, advancing the ball to the Laval 10, before Rouge et Or safety Kevin McGee left his feet to deliver a helmet-to-helmet hit. No penalty was called on either play, but the RSEQ said McGee’s tackle was excessive and he was suspended for one game.
“The ruling is backed by a desire to provide a safe environment for our student athletes,” said RSEQ president and general manager Gustave Roel, who added that player safety “is a priority.”
Laval issued a statement saying it would not appeal the decision. It said the Rouge et Or has never encouraged or taught dangerous play and would have no further comment.
“I just want to thank all the people who have reached out to me over the past week and thanked me for my video about player safety and bringing it to the forefront of conversation,” Miller said in a statement Friday afternoon. “Regardless of the outcome of
The ruling is backed by a desire to provide a safe environment for our student athletes. GUSTAVE ROEL, RSEQ president and general manager
the decision today by the RSEQ I would like to thank them for really taking seriously the issues at hand and committing to improving our great game of football in Quebec.
“I think with continued dialogue and research on what regulations are most successful at helping prevent head to head collisions and concussions overall, (we’ll take) a really giant step forward for the state of university football. With better rules and regulations this conference will continue to be the gold standard in Canadian university football.”