Durant’s status uncertain
REGINA — The status of Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant remains to be determined.
Head coach Corey Chamblin said he wanted to consult film from Friday’s practice before deciding if Durant will start against the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday (5 p.m., TSN, CKRM).
“He did (practise) two days in a row and he had a little bit of pain (after Thursday’s session),” Chamblin said. “If he’s healthy, he’ll probably get (the start). I can’t say 100 per cent that he’s the quarterback right now because there are too many other things that can happen between now and then.”
“THE BIGGEST THING IS HE KNOWS HOW MUCH PAIN
HE’S IN.”
COREY CHAMBLIN
Durant’s health has been the focus of the team and the Rider Nation since he suffered a sprained right foot in the Riders’ 39-28 win over the Toronto Argonauts on July 11. Durant started the week in a walking boot, but worked out with the firstteam offence on Thursday and Friday. Chamblin didn’t know if Durant could cause further damage to his foot by playing Sunday.
“The biggest thing is he knows how much pain he’s in,” Chamblin said. “No matter what you do in football, every week you’re going to have some pain from bumps and bruises. I don’t know structurally if there is anything he can do to it.”
Chamblin is confident that Durant would let him know if the injury was serious enough to keep him from playing.
“I think that Darian and I have a good enough relationship that he would tell me if it was hurt that badly,” he said. “If it was worse than what he has played through, I won’t do that. I will always protect the players first.”
Backup Drew Willy would get the start if Durant isn’t ready to go. The Riders have until game time before having to make a final decision on Durant’s status.
NOTES: Defensive back Diamond Ferri was OK after running full speed into the north goalposts on Friday. Ferri returned to practice after being tended to the training staff … It appears that defensive back Eddie Russ will be on the active roster Sunday. Russ was signed on Wednesday after being cut after training camp. The Riders are looking to bolster a secondary that has been hit by injuries. Russ was part of a number of repetitions at cornerback with the first-team offence … The Riders are reporting that some of the temporary seats in the south end zone were damaged by the hail and high winds during Friday’s thunderstorm. Construction crews were working to assess and repair the damage, which the Riders believed was limited to the seats and not the structure of the temporary stands. The stands are to remain closed until they can be re-certified for public use. Further updates on the stands are to be posted on riderville.com.