Newsome denies sounding off about coaches before release
Pass rusher tweets his side of the story shortly after signing with Redblacks
Defensive end Jonathan Newsome took to Twitter on Friday to tell his side of what contributed to him being cut by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Newsome posted his thoughts shortly after signing with the Ottawa Redblacks. The international defensive end was released by the Riders on Tuesday for what head coach and general manager Chris Jones said was a difference in views and a decision to go in a different direction.
Newsome said he was released after a meeting with Jones, who had apparently been informed that Newsome expressed some issues with “the way he does things.’’
Newsome said Jones told him he had heard Newsome said things were “messed up around here.” Newsome denied those accusations.
“I would never question how my coach coaches or what his football philosophies are,” Newsome said in the post. “I know that, as a player, you have to be coachable. During my time in (Saskatchewan) I really tried to be that person.’’
Newsome also claimed the person feeding Jones that information was defensive line coach Ed Philion.
“I won’t go into much detail because a lot was said, but that was our ‘difference of philosophy’ and a ‘he say, she say’ situation occurred and I don’t partake in those kind of activities,” Newsome said.
Jones and Philion both declined to comment after the Riders’ final walk-through in advance of Saturday’s game against the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
“I’m not going to comment on players who are no longer here and that’s basically it,’’ Philion said. “He’s no longer part of our football team so I would rather not comment on that.”
Quarterback Kevin Glenn said he hadn’t read Newsome’s post or heard his side of the story. However, Glenn offered his thoughts on Newsome’s release, saying that there are always two sides to every story.
“A lot of times your perception is your reality,” Glenn said. “If you see it a certain way, you’re going to believe this is the way that it was intended to be. Sometimes it may not be.
“I’m not saying that this is the situation with Newsome, because I don’t know what actually happened. With that being said, there probably needs to be more communication between both sides. If the communication had been there, it probably wouldn’t have resulted in what actually happened.”
The meeting between Jones and Newsome took place before the Riders headed out to Tuesday’s practice. Riders defensive end Willie Jefferson was shocked when he realized that Newsome had been cut between team meetings and practice.
Having said that, Jefferson had an opportunity to read Newsome’s post before heading to Friday’s walk-through.
“It wasn’t really like a slam,” Jefferson said. “He had his opinion and things happened how they happened. I’m happy that he’s somewhere where he can keep playing ball and doing what he’s been doing.”
Ottawa general manager Marcel Desjardins didn’t have any issues with what Newsome posted on Twitter.
“I asked him what his version of the events were,” Desjardins told Postmedia’s Tim Baines. “He put something out on social media, which is basically what he told me had transpired. He’ll be fine here.”
Jefferson doesn’t feel that Newsome’s comments will be a distraction ahead of Saturday’s game.
“This business comes with distractions,’’ Jefferson said. “There are distractions on the field and off the field. As a football player and as a pro, you have to look at those things and keep it moving.’’
Maintaining focus is a key for the Riders as they head into Saturday’s game with an 0-2 record. The prospect of a third consecutive loss is daunting considering what’s ahead for the Green and White.
Regardless of the outcome, they’re to begin their first of two bye weeks on Sunday and are off until July 16. The Riders return to game action on July 22 in Calgary against the Stampeders and then play host to the Toronto Argonauts on July 29. That game is followed by five consecutive contests against West Division opponents.
“It’s always a must-win situation — not just for us, but for the organization, the community and the fans who come into this new stadium and just want to see us win,” Jefferson said.