B.C. Lions’ quarterback Nathan Rourke has been forced to postpone a pair of NFL workouts to next week after coming down with the flu after his flight home from Regina, according to a report for TSN’s Farhan Lalji.
Rourke was in Regina to accept his trophy as the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian on Thursday, becoming the first quarterback to win the award since 1980. There was some debate as to whether the budding superstar would actually attend the ceremony due to the strain travel puts on his injured foot but he ultimately made the trip. The decision to push workouts by a week is unrelated to his injury.
The 24-year-old is coming off a sensational season in the CFL during which he completed 78.7 percent of his pass attempts for 3,349 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He also ran the ball 39 times for 304 yards and seven scores.
Rourke went 8-1 as a starter before undergoing surgery in August to repair a Lisfranc sprain in his foot. Though the injury was originally thought to be season-ending, he was able to return for the final week of the regular season and play the first quarter of a meaningless contest against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The native of Victoria, B.C. started the West Semi-Final the following week and threw for 321 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-16 victory over the Calgary Stampeders. He and his team were eliminated from postseason contention against Winnipeg the following week after he threw for 300 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in a 28-20 loss in the West Final.
Rourke remains under contract with the Lions through next season, though all CFL players are permitted to depart for the NFL via the window that was established in 2019. He was emotional following the West Final and told reporters he hasn’t ruled out a return to B.C. for 2023.
The six-foot-two, 209-pound passer was a three-year starter at Ohio University from 2017-2019 where he threw for 7,457 yards, 60 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions. He also recorded 425 carries for 2,634 yards and 49 scores along the ground.
