Carter knows he crossed the line
Emotional receiver admits invading Stamps’ turf in warm-up was a mistake
Duron Carter knows he crossed the line before Saturday’s kickoff against the Calgary Stampeders.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders wide receiver and Calgary safety Josh Bell got into a brief shouting match during the warm-up that preceded the Stampeders’ 27-10 CFL victory.
Carter crossed over the midfield stripe and Bell pushed him in the chest. The players were separated by some of the Riders’ coaches before the incident could escalate.
“Everybody knows what you can and can’t do before a football game,’’ Carter said after the Riders resumed practice on Tuesday. “If we were to fight or something, then it would be a real thing. Everyone saw what I did and I put my hands up. If he wants to show (off) for the crowd, then he can do that. I don’t get into physical altercations because there isn’t any reason for that.’’
Chris Jones, the Riders’ head coach and general manager, said he talked to Carter about the incident.
“You can’t cross midfield and Duron was totally in the wrong,” Jones said. “I know at least Duron got fined, and rightfully so. None of that stuff ever makes you play any better and it certainly didn’t help us.”
The episode was magnified considering Carter’s reputation for being a distraction or disruption. He can be among the league’s elite receivers, but many of those accomplishments are often overshadowed by other incidents.
Last summer, for example, Carter was fined by the Montreal Alouettes and suspended for a game by the CFL for bumping into Ottawa Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell after scoring a touchdown. In the fall, Carter got into a shouting match with former Alouettes quarterback Rakeem Cato.
Carter was released by Montreal on Oct. 17. The Alouettes never explained why Carter was cut, other than head coach Jacques Chapdelaine complaining about a perceived lack of effort by some unidentified players after a 22-8 loss to the host Stampeders on Oct. 16. Carter and fellow receiver Kenny Stafford were cut the next day.
The Riders gambled on Carter despite those incidents, signing the free agent receiver on Jan. 26.
“A lot of people will say, ‘Look there and there he goes,’ ” Jones said.
“Duron has been good since he’s been here. He made a mistake and he understands that he makes mistakes. We’re not going to treat him differently than anyone else.’’
Saturday’s incident occurred during what has been a slow start for Carter, who has 16 receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown. The Riders are trying to get Carter the ball, however. He’s been targeted 32 times.
“All you can do is target a guy,’’ Jones said. “If they’re doing a good job of covering him … we opened the game (on Saturday) targeting him and unfortunately we couldn’t get the ball to him. We have a lot of weapons and there’s only one football.’’
The Riders are getting production from receivers like Naaman Roosevelt (29 receptions for 342 yards and a touchdown) and Bakari Grant (22 receptions for 234 yards and three touchdowns).
Those contributions reduce the necessity of making Carter the focal point of the Riders’ offence.
“We have a lot of guys on the team who can pick up the slack,’’ said quarterback Kevin Glenn. “If we do have a guy who’s not getting the ball or is not producing, they can take over. That’s the dynamic of this offence and this receiver group.
“A lot of people look for Duron to be the Duron where it was only him on the team and every ball went to Duron on every play. So he had ample opportunities and that’s why the success sometimes was there. Here, we have to pick and choose what the defence gives us.’’
Carter isn’t frustrated by his slow start.
“I’m more frustrated by (the fact) that we’re not winning,” said Carter, whose Riders carry a 1-3 record into Saturday’s game against the visiting Toronto Argonauts.
“Winning is everything for me. I won in high school, in college and I want to win as a pro. For me, it’s just getting the win, and I feel that I can really contribute to a win. That’s where the frustration stems from.”