Ellingson injured during ‘frustrating’ end to Redblacks’ season

Greg Ellingson, so often a hero for the Ottawa Redblacks during the past three seasons, couldn’t finish Sunday’s Canadian Football League East Division semifinal game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders — a 31-20 loss for the home side.

Ellingson, who caught 1,459 yards in passes during the regular season (third in the CFL), left the game in the second quarter. He later returned, but left again.

“It’s frustrating. I’m pissed off that I got hurt and couldn’t finish the game,” said Ellingson. “I did something to my knee, I’m not really sure what it is. I don’t think it’s anything serious. On a deep pass, my knee hit really hard when I was trying to catch the ball. The next play, I tried to make a cut I always make and I felt a pop.

“I wanted to fight through it. I didn’t feel 100 per cent, for sure — I was running 75 per cent or 80 per cent — I couldn’t really power through. I told the coaches it didn’t feel right, they decided it was better to go with someone who was at 100 per cent.”

On the play where he banged up his knee, a diving Ellingson couldn’t hang on to a Trevor Harris pass. With his team trailing by a touchdown, it would have been a huge grab deep in Riders territory.

“I usually make those catches,” said Ellingson. “I think the point of the ball just hit my palm weird. You think about the what-ifs. What if I didn’t get hurt and could have played full speed and helped the team? What if (receiver) Jake (Harty) didn’t go down? There are always what-ifs, but you can’t really play that game. (The Riders) were just better than us today.”

As for his team having four turnovers, Ellingson said: “You can’t make those mistakes in the playoffs. That’s why they’re moving forward and that’s why we’re going home.”