The Edmonton Elks have released national offensive lineman Jacob Ruby due to a breach of COVID protocols.
Ruby started the first three games of the season at left guard for the green and gold.
The 28-year-old Ruby originally signed in Edmonton in 2017 after spending two seasons in Montreal following the Alouettes selecting him in the first round, eighth overall during the 2015 CFL Draft. In three seasons with the Elks, Ruby appeared in 43 games while making 22 starts.
His release was made official Tuesday by the Edmonton Football Team, as the team’s tier one players, coaches and staff are in the final day of a 10-day isolation period. The six-foot-seven, 325-pound o-lineman is now a free agent.
The move is part of the Elks ongoing commitment to strictly following the league’s COVID protocols, which are in place to ensure the health and safety of all tier one members and anyone they come in contact with.
One of the original 14 positive tests Edmonton had during its outbreak has been deemed a false positive. The original test was conducted on Tuesday, August 24 but three subsequent negative tests have ruled out the possibility of the player having the virus.
President Chris Presson has confirmed that the team will return to the practice field on Wednesday provided that no new positive tests occur. The team has now been in isolation for over a week, which means the chances of any further new cases is extremely low.
As of Friday, 83.5 percent of Edmonton’s tier one personnel were vaccinated. Presson indicated that there have been no new vaccinations over the past few days that he’s aware of, but more players have recently shown interest in becoming vaccinated.
The Elks are scheduled to visit the Calgary Stampeders on Monday, September 6 for the annual Labour Day Classic. Given that the outbreak appears to be over, the game should proceed as scheduled barring any further setbacks.
The team has not yet provided an update on the status of its postponed Week 4 game against the Toronto Argonauts, which was supposed to take place on Thursday, August 26.
