The Canadian Football League Players’ Association has issued the following memo to its membership league-wide.
It was obtained by 3DownNation on Friday afternoon.
Gentlemen,
Despite the CFL’s assurances that player health and safety is a high priority for the league and teams, we have confirmed six members experienced Achilles Tendon injuries yesterday (four of six occurring within six minutes on one team). This clearly contradicts those assurances.
The reports we have received regarding the circumstances cause us great concern that the coaching staff were not respecting the protocols in place for the first week of player isolation. We will continue to seek answers and demand more rigorous oversight on proper player safety standards.
We strongly recommend all members be personally proactive with their health and safety and understand that you can and should speak out when you feel your health and safety is being put at risk. Immediately contact your player reps and Association if you feel your health and safety is being compromised. The CFLPA will immediately act on your concerns. We continue to place the health and safety of our members at the forefront and we will ensure the CFL does the same.
Your CFLPA
Four of the players who suffered torn Achilles tendons on Thursday were members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders — running back Jonathan Femi-Cole, defensive end Freddie Bishop III, linebacker Larry Dean, and defensive back Nelson Lokombo. Bishop III and Dean were projected starters, while Lokombo was the No. 2 overall selection in the 2021 CFL Draft.
The other two players, defensive back Ryan Carter and receiver Teo Redding, both play for the Montreal Alouettes.
