Riders came out ahead $781,930 lastyear
The Saskatchewan Roughriders made a profit of $781,930 during the 2017-18 financial year.
The surplus was announced in an annual report that the community-owned team distributed to shareholders.
Gate receipts of $16.7 million during the 2017 CFL season — the team’s first at new Mosaic Stadium — helped the Roughriders generate $37.3 million in gross revenue.
Also in the report, it was noted that the Roughriders had a direct financial impact of $1,367,272 on not-for-profit or charitable organizations across Saskatchewan.
As well, Roughriders players travelled a total of 136,364 kilometres to visit 83 Saskatchewan communities in 2017, appearing at 458 events.
More details will be released June 20, when the club holds its annual general meeting (7 p.m., Conexus Arts Centre).
CFL teams are to reduce their rosters to a league-mandated 46 players, plus 10 on the practice roster, by Sunday at 8 a.m.
The Riders have 75 players listed on their depth chart. That means some friends the players made during the 18-day training camp will be gone after Sunday.
“It’s always tough with every training camp when cuts takes place,” said Riders quarterback Zach Collaros. “We’ve all been there before and we’ve all been humbled. We all wish those guys well and you never know when another opportunity will come their way.”
The Riders head into Friday’s pre-season game against the visiting Calgary Stampeders with seven running backs on the depth chart, including nationals Jerome Messam and Bryce Vieira. There are also five internationals — Marcus Thigpen, Zac Stacy, Tre Mason, Storm Johnson and David Cobb.
Thigpen, the lone holdover from 2017, won’t play on Friday. He will open the regular season by serving a two-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance. The remaining four running backs have all been signed since training camp opened on May 20.
“They all just somehow became available,’’ said Chris Jones, the Riders’ head coach and general manager. “When you’ve got two 30-year-old running backs (Messam and Thigpen) you had better know who the next one is. It’s just the reality of pro football.’’
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers announced Thursday that quarterback Matt Nichols will miss four to six weeks after suffering an apparent knee injury during Wednesday’s practice.
The injury leaves the Blue Bombers with quarterbacks Chris Streveler, Alex Ross and Bryan Bennett, all of whom are untested in the CFL.
The Riders are in a strong position quarterback-wise with Collaros and Brandon Bridge on the roster. Jones said he hasn’t fielded any calls from the Blue Bombers regarding possibly acquiring Bridge from the Riders.