Hughes keen to wear green
Charleston Hughes was a rare example of stability in the often unpredictable world of professional sports, spending his first 10 CFL seasons with the Calgary Stampeders.
Then came Friday. The 34-yearold defensive end was technically a member of three organizations — the Stampeders, Hamilton TigerCats and Saskatchewan Roughriders — in a matter of hours.
“It was a whirlwind,” Hughes said after being introduced to the Saskatchewan media on Wednesday at Mosaic Stadium.
On Friday, the Riders acquired Hughes — the CFL’s sack leader in each of the past two seasons — from Hamilton for quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.
Earlier in the day, Calgary had shipped Hughes and a fourthround pick (34th overall) in the 2018 draft to Hamilton for fourth-rounders in 2018 and 2019.
News of the initial deal came as a shock to Hughes, who didn’t have much time to adjust to life as a Tiger-Cat.
“Honestly, I never imagined I would be anywhere else besides Calgary, being there so long,” Hughes said. “After actually getting traded and going from Hamilton to Saskatchewan, it was a shocker for a little bit.”
He said he feels good about the direction in which the Roughriders are proceeding.
“Even though it’s not by choice, I still ended up with a good team — a Grey Cup-contending team — and I still feel like we’re going to make it all the way,” Hughes said.
Over 10 seasons in Calgary, Hughes registered 412 defensive tackles, 99 sacks, 38 special teams tackles and 23 forced fumbles.
He’s also appeared in 11 career playoff contests and four Grey Cups, winning titles with the Stampeders in 2008 and 2014.
Last season, Hughes had 41 defensive tackles, 11 sacks and a forced fumble.
The six-foot-one, 246-pounder is a four-time CFL all-star. rvanstone@postmedia.com twitter.com/robvanstone