By Canadian Press

CFL players remind Bomber’s Hecht of prior criticism following Harris suspension

Aug 26, 2019 | 2:49 PM

It seems CFL players Derek Dennis and Richie Leone have long memories.

Winnipeg running back Andrew Harris was suspended for two games Monday following a positive drug test. That prompted both Dennis, a Calgary Stampeders offensive lineman, and Leone, a punter with Ottawa, to remind Bombers safety Jeff Hecht of his harsh criticism of Redblacks long-snapper Louis-Philippe Bourassa following his suspension under similar circumstances roughly two months earlier.

Bourassa received a two-game suspension June 23 after a positive drug test.

“Let me know if you need a workout program after you’re done your 2 week vacation,” Hecht tweeted afterwards. “Sometimes you just have to work hard instead of being lazy and try to buy an edge.”

Hecht also tweeted, “The player was very much aware of the banned nature of this product. If he was not, then there is a larger problem of negligence and ignorance that needs to be addressed.”

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Following Harris’s suspension, Dennis and Leone reminded Hecht of those comments.

“This didn’t age well huh,” tweeted Dennis.

“I think we are all just waiting on team spokesman @JeffHecht24 for his take on the matter….. v interested in what he has to say since he’s so well versed on the drug policy,” Leone added also on Twitter.

There was no immediate response on Hecht’s Twitter account.

Harris was suspended after testing positive for Metandienone, an anabolic steroid. The CFL rushing leader told reporters Monday he didn’t knowingly use a banned substance and believes the supplement he took was contaminated.

Many Bombers players attended Harris’s news conference to support of him. Afterwards, head coach Mike O’Shea, startingarterback Matt Nichols and offensive lineman Stanley Bryant all vouched for Harris, as did Craig Smith, a former CFL personnel official who’s spent time with Winnipeg and B.C.

“Was with the Bombers 2 years & the Lions for two years when Harris was there,” Smith tweeted. “He’s one of the best guys I’ve met in the League.

“If I had a daughter I would love to have him as a son-in-law. Great quality kid. Stay strong Andrew.”

A two-game suspension is the penalty for a first-time positive test. A second violation results in a nine-game ban with a season-long penalty coming with a third offence.

A player testing positive a fourth time faces a lifetime ban.

Saskatchewan defensive lineman Jordan Reaves, recovering from a season-ending knee injury suffered during training camp, also chimed in about Harris’s suspension.

“Don’t tell them you’re sorry cuz you’re not…baby cuz you know you’re only sorry you got caught,” he tweeted.

That predictably drew the ire of Bombers supporters. But Reaves, who began his CFL career in Winnipeg and whose father, Willard, was a star running back with the Manitoba franchise, said fans shouldn’t be upset with him.

“Y’all Winnipeg fans need a hobby ???? I’m not calling him classless or even a cheater!” Reaves tweeted. “The man got caught with something and that’s that!

“He’s one hell of a player that made a mistake! And for goodness sake if you feel attacked by my tweet about another man please reevaluate life.”

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DUKE TURNING HEADS: Former CFL receiver D’haquille (Duke) Williams is drawing attention at the Buffalo Bills training camp.

Williams, the CFL’s leading receiver last season with the Edmonton Eskimos, has six catches for 53 yards with two TDs in three exhibition games with the Bills. And the six-foot-three, 225-pound Williams has caught the eye of Buffalo starter Josh Allen.

“He’s one of the guys that you gravitate towards, Allen said. “You want one of those guys on your team.

“He’s gone out the last couple games and made some really big plays for us. He’s just hungry, he doesn’t care what’s in his way. One of those guys that’s just going to find a way.”

This marks Williams’ second NFL opportunity. He was undrafted following his collegiate career at Auburn, signing as a free agent with the L.A. Rams in 2016 but was among the club’s final cuts.

Williams joined the Eskimos in 2017. He was a CFL all-star last season after registering 88 catches for 1,579 yards and 11 TDs.

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ARGOS FOLLOW SCRIPT: Once again, the Toronto Argonauts were their own worst enemy.

Toronto made two crucial mistakes in its 28-22 loss to the Montreal Alouettes on Sunday at Moncton, N.B. Chris Ackie’s recovery of quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s fumble off a botched snap with just over 10 seconds remaining in the first half kept the Argos’ lead at 16-6.

Then on the first play of the second half, Vernon Adams Jr. found a wide-open Eugene Lewis on a 65-yard TD strike to pull the Als to within 16-13 and complete a huge 14-point swing.

Still, Toronto took a 22-20 advantage into the fourth and was at Montreal’s three-yard line on the game’s final play. But Bethel-Thompson’s pass to Armanti Edwards in the end zone was incomplete.

Mistakes have plagued Toronto (1-9) this season. The Argos entered Sunday’s contest having committed a CFL-high 28  turnovers and with a league-worst minus-17 turnover ratio.

Toronto was also penalized 12 times for 131 yards Sunday. Despite that, the Argos accumulated 569 total offensive yards while Bethel-Thompson threw for 464 yards with two TDs.

Toronto’s schedule doesn’t get an easier. It visits the East Division-leading Hamilton Tiger-Cats (8-2) on Labour Day Monday.

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STREAKING RIDERS: There’s no hotter team in the CFL right now than the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Saskatchewan (6-3) earned its fifth straight victory Saturday night with a convincing 40-18 decision over the Ottawa Redblacks. This despite being penalized 16 times for 186 yards.

But Saskatchewan’s defence registered three sacks, recovered both fumbles it forced and had three interceptions. Quarterback Cody Fajardo threw for 241 yards and a TD and ran for another while Williams Powell rushed for 70 yards on 11 carries with two touchdowns against his former club.

The Riders face West Division-leading Winnipeg (8-2) in a home-and-home series that starts Sunday in Regina. The Bombers will be without Nichols — who’s on the six-game injured list with an upper-body ailment — and of course Harris.

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PUZZLING ESKIMOS: The Edmonton Eskimos are a tough team to figure out.

The Eskimos (6-4) are in the thick of it in the West Division, tied with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-3) for second on points. They’re four points behind the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-2) but also just two points ahead of the fourth-place Calgary Stampeders (5-4).

Four of Edmonton’s wins have come against the B.C. Lions (1-9) and Toronto Argonauts (1-8). The other was a season-opening 32-25 home decision over Montreal, but the Alouettes (5-4) avenged that by downing the Eskimos 20-10 last month at Molson Stadium.

Edmonton’s other losses have come against Winnipeg (twice) and Calgary. The Eskimos will have figure out quickly how to deal with the CFL’s upper echelon as they face the defending Grey Cup-champion Stampeders back-to-back starting Monday at McMahon Stadium.

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SHILTZ RE-SIGNS: The Montreal Alouettes signed American quarterback Matt Shiltz on Monday to a one-year contract extension through the 2020 season.

The six-foot-two, 205-pound Shiltz is in his third season with Montreal. He has completed 11-of-16 passes for 107 yards this season and 65-of-107 attempts for 686 yards and two TDs in eight games during his CFL tenure.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press