The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are moving on from receiver Duke Williams and strong-side linebacker Chris Edwards, both are set to reach free agency in February.
“The unfortunate part of our business sometimes is that things work and sometimes they don’t,” general manager Ed Hervey said regarding Williams. “Our relationship has nothing to do with the decision moving forward but we made the decision to move on and that decision was final.”
Williams was the eighth-highest-paid receiver in the CFL this past season and recorded 36 receptions for 510 yards with one touchdown over 11 games with the Ticats. He was added to the six-game injured list in September and posted a cryptic message on social media making it seem as though he’d been released, though he remains under contract with the team through next month.
The six-foot-three, 225-pound target has made 216 catches for 3,569 yards and 21 touchdowns over 53 career CFL games with Edmonton, Saskatchewan and Hamilton.
Edwards started all 18 regular season games for the Ticats last season and made 46 tackles, four sacks and one interception.
The native of Detriot, Mi. was suspended for three games following Hamilton’s loss in the East Semi-Final during which he threw Montreal Alouettes’ receiver Jake Harty to the ground and punched him. The incident caused both benches to clear and was followed by a long stoppage of play.
The 30-year-old has previously received supplemental discipline from the league on multiple occasions. He was assessed a maximum fine early in the 2023 season for punching Montreal receiver Austin Mack and was suspended six games in 2021 after engaging in a physical altercation with fans after the East Final while playing for the Toronto Argonauts.
The suspension was later reduced to three games, which he served at the start of the 2022 season.
