Argos quarterback Ray ‘will miss significant time’ with neck injury
TORONTO — The Toronto Argonauts say starter Ricky Ray “will miss significant time this season,” as a result of the neck injury he suffered Saturday night.
The Argos said in a statement issued Monday night that Ray, the Canadian Football League club’s all-time leading passer, was released from a Toronto hospital earlier in the day and is recovering at home with his family.
Ray was injured in the third quarter of Toronto’s 41-7 home loss to the Calgary Stampeders.
The Argos also said Ray will undergo more tests to evaluate the injury, and there’s no timeline for his return.
Ray left the field Saturday night on a stretcher with his head immobilized after being sandwiched between Calgary defensive linemen Ja’Gared Davis and Cordarro Law. Play was halted for more than 20 minutes as medical personnel treated him.
Ray, 38, has been a model of resiliency during his Argos tenure, overcoming knee injuries, a partially deflated lung and shoulder surgery to return to the lineup. But watching a respected future Hall of Fame player leaving the field strapped down on a stretcher was concerning to fans as well as players and officials on both teams.
On Sunday, the Argos said Ray had feeling in his extremities while showing no concussion symptoms. Earlier on Monday, GM Jim Popp said it would be a few more days before club officials know the full extent of Ray’s condition.
“I can’t even speculate on that right now,” Popp said. “I surely hope and pray it’s not significant for his quality of life and his family’s, and there’s a 100 per cent recovery.
“The prelim report is good (but) that doesn’t mean he won’t be out a bit. They run very thorough tests, they’re going over stuff, they want multiple people to look at it so there’s a clear indication of what the next step is. It may take a few days for us to get all those answers.”
The six-foot-three, 214-pound Ray led Toronto to a Grey Cup title last year, a CFL-record fourth as a starter and second with the Argos, to cap its first season under head coach Marc Trestman. But following Toronto’s stunning 27-24 win over Calgary, Ray seriously considered retirement before ultimately deciding to return for a 16th campaign in Canada.
Ray enjoyed a resurgence under Trestman. After being limited to just 12 games over two injury-plagued campaigns, Ray made 17 starts last season and registered his first 5,000-yard season since 2008 in leading Toronto (9-9) atop the East Division after it finished last in 2016 with a 5-13 mark.
The day Trestman was hired, he named Ray his starter. Ray responded by leading Toronto back to the playoffs and being named the East Division’s outstanding player for a third time.
Popp said when Ray went down, the outcome of the football game became secondary.
“The game itself becomes insignificant and unimportant to people as the individual because it’s a quality of life and what they’re going to have to go through,” Popp said. “That’s the scary part and that’s in every sport ... but it gets magnified when it involves one of the alltime greats of your business and league as Ricky is and puts things into perspective.”
Toronto is on a bye week, and resumes its season July 7 at home to Edmonton. That time off allows the Argos to make the move from York University to their new full-time digs at BMO Field. The club also has time to prepare backup James Franklin to face his former team.
Franklin was 8-of-13 passing for 65 yards versus Calgary and scored the Argos’ lone TD on a 10-yard run.