Sheets’ future with Riders hazy
Re-signing running back up in air
Jeremy O’Day had more questions than answers when it comes to the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ interest in re-signing running back Kory Sheets.
The Roughriders’ assistant general manager met with the media on Wednesday, one day after Sheets officially became a free agent. Sheets was untendered by the NFL’s Oakland Raiders on Tuesday, freeing him to sign with another NFL or CFL team.
O’Day said Sheets, who spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons with the Roughriders, contacted the CFL team about his pending free agency.
The Riders’ questions regarding Sheets range from what his plans are to the running back’s health to what transpired after he signed with the Raiders. O’Day said that Sheets is looking to pursue his NFL options before making a return to the CFL.
“We’ve been told that he’s going to go through the process of checking out his options in the NFL,’’ O’Day said during the media conference at Mosaic Stadium.
Next on the list is Sheets’ health. He missed the entire 2104 NFL season after suffering a torn right Achilles tendon during a pre-season game with the Raiders against the Green Bay Packers.
“Right now he’s not fit to play football,’’ O’Day said. “We’re under the impression that he has started running and that’s as far as we know about that. There are a lot of questions that we need answered. Does he really want to come back? We don’t know the answer about that. Does he fit into our salary cap?’’
It’s the second time that Sheets has suffered a torn Achilles while attempting to land a job with an NFL team. In 2010, he tore his left Achilles tendon while attending training camp with the Miami Dolphins. He was released by the Dolphins after the 2011 season and signed with the Carolina Panthers. Sheets signed with the Riders after being cut by Carolina.
Sheets, who turns 30 on March 31, rushed for 1,277 yards with the 2012 Roughriders. He followed that up in the 2013 season by gaining 1,598 yards along the ground — despite missing nearly four games with a knee injury — and being named a CFL all-star.
Sheets was named the most valuable player in the 2013 Grey Cup game after rushing for a record 197 yards in Saskatchewan’s 4523 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Mosaic Stadium.
It’s believed to take approximately 10 months to recover from a torn Achilles. That means Sheets would likely be able to play in July.
“The timing is he would probably be ready to play at the beginning of the season,’’ O’Day said.
The Riders have concerns regarding Sheets’ legal status because he was arrested for possession of marijuana near Estevan after signing with the Raiders. Sheets was granted an absolute discharge and was cleared to travel into the United States to attend camp with the Raiders.
“It’s definitely a factor and you always want to do your homework on those situations,’’ O’Day said. “Another question we will have to have answered is whether we’ll have any immigration concerns if he was allowed to come back into the country.
“There are a lot of questions that we will need to have answered before we get down to decision time whether he will be coming back to the CFL or the Riders.’’
The incident in Estevan was the second time Sheets had an off-season issue with the law.
On Jan. 19, 2013, Sheets was charged with domestic battery violence and released on a $1,000 bond after an alleged dispute over phones with his girlfriend in Florida. The charge was dismissed after Sheets completed a domestic violence program.
Those incidents led to questions regarding the running back’s character.
“I think it has been blown up a little in the media about his character issues,’’ O’Day said. “His issues are the legal part that concern us.
“As far as him being in the locker-room, we didn’t have any issues with Kory. He was a good teammate from all standpoints. He was very motivated as a player and was a dynamic player when he was with us.’’
O’Day said that further discussions will have to take place between Sheets and general manager Brendan Taman before the Riders move forward in regards to re-signing the running back.
“We’re not going to put a contract in front of someone unless you have all of those answers,’’ O’Day said. “Those talks haven’t really begun. He has just reached out to us since he became a free agent. We’ll have a game plan going forward when the time is right.’’
“(KORY SHEETS) WAS VERY MOTIVATED AS A PLAYER AND WAS A DYNAMIC PLAYER WHEN HE WAS WITH US.”
JEREMY O’DAY