If you think the Saskatchewan Roughriders are covered too much by the Canadian football media then you will find yourself in agreement with head coach Craig Dickenson.
“I think the Riders are covered ad nauseam,” Dickenson told 3DownNation when asked if there was anything about the team’s recent off-season that did not garner enough coverage.
“I don’t think the Riders have ever suffered from a lack of publicity or media attention.”
The Roughriders are always in the news and that was especially true over the past year, mostly for reasons that did not cast a glowing light on the CFL’s most followed franchise.
There were a number of on-field issues that enveloped the team a season ago, such as Duke Williams throwing a helmet at and allegedly spitting on Toronto Argonauts’ defensive back Shaq Richardson, his subsequent suspension that followed and being flagged for objectable conduct while in street clothes on the sideline during Saskatchewan’s Labour Day Classic loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The team had to deal with the fallout from former Rider Garrett Marino’s late hit on Ottawa Redblacks’ quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. Marino was suspended four games for that blow, another hit earlier in the game and “verbal comments made about Masoli’s heritage.” Marino became a controversial figure and was all most people could talk about whenever the Riders came up in conversation — the team released him in September.
Dickenson made his own headlines last season, first for defending and later walking back comments about Marino and for his handling of quarterback Cody Fajardo’s demotion late in the season.
There were off-field problems such as backup quarterback Jake Dolegala being suspended one game for impaired driving and linebacker Gary Johnson Jr. sitting out one game after violating the team’s code of conduct. Dolegala remains with the team while Johnson Jr. left in free agency and signed with the Redblacks.
Since the calendar turned to 2023, the Riders have seen a slew of positive headlines after making moves such as acquiring quarterback Trevor Harris, defensive lineman Micah Johnson and receiver Derel Walker in free agency. The team hired a new offensive coordinator in Kelly Jeffrey which was popular with some players such as running back Jamal Morrow and recently inked burgeoning star Canadian receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker to a two-year contract extension.
“I think there’s a lot of good people in Riderville under the radar, not necessarily coaching staff but football ops people, the people that work in the building on a day-to-day basis, the training staff,” Dickenson said.
“I think there’s a lot of good things going on there that people don’t necessarily hear about or see but I feel fortunate to be a part of it.”
Despite dominating headlines over the last year, Dickenson believes the Riders could dominate the news cycle even more if they so choose but want to do so for all the right reasons.
