Hebert will keep going ‘extra mile’, despite admittedly illegal tackle
Alouettes linebacker fined for last week’s helmet hit on Argos quarterback Fajardo
Kyries Hebert admits his helmet struck the helmet of Toronto quarterback Cody Fajardo. He admits the tackle was illegal.
But the Alouettes’ veteran linebacker also believes, at least where the Canadian Football League’s disciplinary committee’s concerned, he has a bull’s-eye on his chest. He intimated the league will always find him guilty before proving him innocent.
“I know things are going to be different when it’s me and I have to go the extra mile. I’m going to get fined, but when I get fined, it’s going to be the maximum every time. I understand that,” a candid Hebert said after Thursday’s practice at Olympic Stadium.
“I know next time there’s going to be a suspension. I have to make sure all my hits are legal without question. They can’t even be close.”
On Tuesday, the CFL announced Hebert was being fined the maximum amount possible — half a game cheque — for a high hit he administered in the second half of an Aug. 11 match against Fajardo, who replaced starter Jeff Mathews following the intermission. Hebert was penalized 15 yards for general roughness as tempers flared between him and Argonauts tailback Brandon Whitaker.
Hebert, now in his 12th CFL season — six of which have been spent with Montreal — has been fined twice before. He knocked Calgary tailback Jon Cornish out of a game in 2014 with a forearm to the head, concussing the player. Hebert, fined the maximum amount at the time, was disqualified from the game. The Als were penalized 25 yards for rough play. And he was fined last September for a hit to the head of Ottawa tailback Brendan Gillanders.
The six-foot-three, 220-pound Hebert is an aggressive and physical player who has always fit in nicely with defensive co-ordinator Noel Thorpe’s philosophy and schemes. It’s why Hebert continues to excel and play a prominent role as he approaches his 37th birthday in October.
But there’s no doubt he has gained a reputation as a dirty player due to some of those recent incidents.
“I’ve played in this league since 2004. There’s been two other incidents,” he said, shrugging. “But sometimes it’s a little different with me.
“If you look at Twitter and the comments on Facebook, they swear I’m the dirtiest player they’ve ever seen. That’s OK. I play for Montreal. My teammates support me. My family believes in me and I have a job to do. I play rough. I play at a different speed at times, a good speed. It’s a speed that has kept me employed over these years.”
A CFL player can appeal any suspension and argue for a reduced fine through his team’s player representative, a role quarterback Darian Durant fills for the Als. Hebert wants Durant to fight on his behalf, but isn’t overly optimistic. Hebert maintains that because the league can fine a player half of his gross game cheque, he’ll play the next two games without compensation, starting with Saturday afternoon’s return match against Toronto at BMO Field.
Hebert wouldn’t reveal the amount of the financial penalty, obviously suggesting it’s steep.
“In this league, it’s hard. You’re not making NFL money that you can go two weeks without getting paid,” he said. “I have a job to do and I need to do it to the best of my ability and I need to be on the field for my team. I can’t do anything that’s going to risk a suspension.”
Defensive players walk a fine line, especially in the CFL, whenever contact is made with a quarterback. The league, in turn, will go the extra mile to protect its starting pivots, many of whom are their team’s marquee and highest-paid player.
But it’s not easy being a defender. Last month, Winnipeg quarterback Matt Nichols ducked as he was being sacked by Als safety Chris Ackie, resulting in a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty. The Blue Bombers eventually scored the winning touchdown and Ackie, now out for the season with an injury, was fined.
“There’s going to probably be a flag every time you hit a quarterback,” Hebert said. “What doesn’t get taken into consideration is that things happen quick, in an instant. If you’re going to make a tackle on a quarterback in the chest ... and he ducks, you’re responsible to change your trajectory in the middle of a tackle at full speed. That’s pretty much impossible.
“They want to keep people safe. I’m all for being safe and surviving. But it’s a contact sport. You can look at every play. On every play, pretty much someone’s helmet touches another person’s helmet. I’ll just have to go lower.”
And Thorpe, as usual, maintained he’ll have to do a better job of coaching his players.
“Guys understand they can’t launch themselves. They’ve got to keep their helmet up and they can’t hit with the crown of their helmet,” Thorpe explained. “On defence, there’s no question, you’ve got to play on the edge. You have to play with aggressiveness. You have to play with an attitude. Sometimes it’s borderline what can be legal and what can’t. That’s not going to stop us from playing with the style and tempo we play with.”
Notes — Centre Luc BrodeurJourdain was sent home Thursday because at least one of his children has a stomach virus and head coach Jacques Chapdelaine didn’t want him exposed to the team ... Slotback Nik Lewis, who missed the last two practices with a similar virus, returned on Thursday ... Linebacker Frédéric Plesius will miss the game with a leg contusion.
In this league, it’s hard. You’re not making NFL money that you can go two weeks without getting paid. I have a job to do and ... I need to be on the field ...