Canadian offensive lineman Shane Richards has refused to participate in any of the testing events at the CFL combine — so the league has sent him packing.
Oklahoma State OL Shane Richards will be sent home from the #cfl combine for declining to perform in front of scouts from all nine teams.
— Chris O'Leary (@olearychris) March 23, 2019
Richards’ agent, Johnathon Hardaway, has a history of directing clients not to participate in combine testing on short notice. Peter Godber (Rice, 2018), Josiah St. John (Oklahoma, 2016), and Arnaud Gascon-Nadon (Laval, 2012) all attended the combine in recent years, but elected not to participate in testing due to close proximity with their pro days.
Godber’s dismissal didn’t hurt his stock a year ago when he was selected third overall by the B.C. Lions. Godber was the league’s fourth-ranked prospect a year ago; Richards is currently the draft’s second-ranked prospect.
Richards finished his interviews with teams on Friday night, which was clearly his top priority this weekend. It’s still a bad look for a player who occupied a combine roster spot that could have otherwise gone to another player.
Richards performed at the Oklahoma State pro day on March 12. He recorded 22 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press and a 27-inch vertical at 6-foot-6 and 332 pounds.
Richards used his redshirt year in 2017 to fine-tune his body for the final season of NCAA eligibility in 2018. He started two games at right guard and three at right tackle for the Cowboys last season – including his first career start in the season-opener against Missouri State.
