The Ottawa Redblacks have finalized their football operations staff for the 2024 season.
General manager Shawn Burke, assistant general manager Jeremy Snyder, director of pro personnel Brendan Taman, director of Canadian scouting and football analytics Chad Hudson, assistant director of U.S. scouting and football operations Philippe Moreau, and manager of football operations Joseph Panessidi are all officially returning to the same roles they had last year.
Burke has helmed the team since 2022, when he added Taman following a two-year run with the Montreal Alouettes and Hudson following a long run with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Snyder has been with the team since 2013 and has served in his current role since he was promoted ahead of the 2017 season.
As previously reported by 3DownNation, Alex Russell has joined the Redblacks as their assistant director of U.S. scouting. He spent the past five years with the Toronto Argonauts, helping the team win a Grey Cup in 2022. He was originally hired as the coordinator of football operations but was promoted twice during his tenure with the Boatmen, finishing as their director of football operations and national scout. He also worked for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 2016 to 2018.
Josh Washburn and Todd Worley, who served as the team’s senior U.S. scouts last season, are no longer with the club. Washburn was in his second run with the Redblacks after working for the team from 2018 to 2020, while Worley previously worked for the Saskatchewan Roughriders from 2016 to 2019.
Equipment manager Drew McCormick, assistant athletic therapists Shannon Webster, Austin Randall, and Josh Collins, video coordinator Braun Gheller, and assistant video coordinator Matthew Babion will also continue in their existing roles.
Scott Shannon will now serve as Ottawa’s head athletic therapist, replacing Marie Claire Costaguta. Shannon has an abundance of experience in the industry, working 16 years in athletic therapy with the Toronto Blue Jays and seven with the Toronto Argonauts.
Broedie Birkhoff has joined the team as its strength and conditioning coach, replacing Jake Grant. Birkhoff spent the past eight years at Hybrid Sports, which included seven seasons with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League. Sean Young will continue in his role as the team’s high-performance director.
The Redblacks have a bye during the first week of the 2024 regular season before hosting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday, June 13 at TD Place Stadium.
