Riders booster apologizes for pro-Trump commentary

ANTHEM PROTESTS

MURRAY MCCORMICK RE G I N A • Tom Shepherd regrets the pro-Donald Trump comments he made Sunday during CKRM radio’s Saskatchewan Roughriders pregame show.

Shepherd is the president and founder of the Friends of the Riders Touchdown Lottery, which has raised approximately $20 million for the CFL team since 1986.

Some Rider fans were angry when Shepherd said he supported the American president during a radio spot to promote lottery-ticket sales.

Shepherd called Trump “his man” and backed Trump’s stance that NFL players who kneel during the national anthem should be fired. Shepherd added during the pre-game show that if he was an owner, he wouldn’t pay the players who took a knee.

“I’m genuinely sorry that my comments have caused such a firestorm,’’ Shepherd told the Regina Leader-Post on Tuesday. “Obviously that wasn’t my intention and I was naive to think that it wouldn’t. If I had thought it would cause a problem, I can 100 per cent guarantee that I wouldn’t have said anything.’’

Shepherd said that he didn’t intend to damage the Riders’ reputation.

“My love for the club and for the Friends of the Riders has been my whole nonworking life since about 1966,’’ Shepherd said. “I would never intentionally do anything to hurt the club. I made a mistake and I should have thought it out. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing and I’m sorry I said it.’’

The Riders have distanced themselves from Shepherd, stating that his opinions and comments were not representative of the club. The lottery is a separate entity and the Riders aren’t involved in its operation.

Shepherd, 74, has deep ties to the Riders. He was the team’s president from 1986 to 1989 and a member of its board of directors from 1978 to 2001. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

Prior to Sunday’s 15-9 loss to the Calgary Stampeders, the Riders linked arms during O’Canada in support of their brethren in the United States. The gesture was a sign of solidarity in response to comments made by U. S. President Donald Trump on the weekend.

Trump criticized NFL players for kneeling during the American national anthem and said owners should fire or suspend players who protest in that manner.