The Ottawa Redblacks suffered two losses at the hands of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday night, falling 25-16 on the scoreboard after watching their starting quarterback Dru Brown exit the game with a head injury.
Speaking to the media after the game, head coach Bob Dyce indicated that the initial signs were positive regarding his signal caller’s health but took issue with the play that forced him out of action.
“First and foremost, Dru is functioning normally, so we’re happy with that,” Dyce told TSN 1200 in Ottawa. “With the hit, obviously, I didn’t like the hit. It seemed to me to be someone leading with their head on a player who was defenceless but I can’t control that.”
Brown took off running on second-and-seven late in the second quarter and slid at the marker with linebacker Adam Bighill bearing down on him from the front. However, Winnipeg strong-side linebacker Redha Kramdi launched late from the side and delivered a shoulder to the side of the quarterback’s head as he was going to the ground, causing his helmet to pop off.
Kramdi was assessed a 15-yard penalty for roughing the passer but remained in the game. Brown was forced to exit under concussion protocol and did not return, enraging the Redblacks’ fan base over the perceived dirty hit. However, some members of the team were much less convinced of the play’s ill-intent, namely backup quarterback Dustin Crum.
“I don’t think it was dirty, I think it was a football play. Things happen so fast out there, I mean, I understand it,” Crum told the media post-game. “I argue with guys all the time, sometimes that’s why I don’t like to slide almost because you kind of are putting yourself into the hands of the defence. If they want to hit you, things like that can happen. You’re in a vulnerable position there and there’s not really much you can do about it at that point once you do decide to slide.”
“As a quarterback, obviously, you have to protect yourself but like I said, I don’t think it was intentional or anyone meant to hurt anyone. It was just a football play and things happen in split seconds.”
Brown was two-of-six for 24 yards before the incident, which marred his fourth start as a Redblack. Through four games, he has gone 67-of-113 for 819 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The 27-year-old was acquired via trade from Winnipeg this offseason, where he spent the previous three years backing up Zach Collaros.
For his part, Kramdi, who finished the game with two tackles, expressed remorse about injuring his former teammate.
“It was a second-and-long. He ran and it happened fast. I don’t want — like, he played here. I don’t want to see him injured,” the Canadian defender told 3DownNation‘s John Hodge. “He was close to the sticks. I dove, he slid. I was late, obviously, and I get that fans are gonna say I’m a dirty player and all that — they have their reasons to. For whatever it’s worth, I apologize and I don’t want to see someone hurt.”
“A penalty is a penalty, so I’m not gonna find an excuse. When a QB slides, you don’t even have to touch him, they’ll just blow it dead. I’ve just gotta do a better job and not hurt Dru.”
Crum went eight-of-11 for 102 yards passing in relief of Brown, adding eight carries for 55 yards on the ground. It wasn’t enough to push Ottawa past a previously winless Bombers squad, as he also threw one interception and lost a fumble while generating just a single touchdown drive.
The 25-year-old, who started 14 games as a rookie in 2023 due to injuries, felt he let his fallen comrade down in the loss.
“You hate it. I care a lot about Dru. He’s a great guy, he’s a competitor, he gets after it. He puts hours into it like nobody else, so to see him take a hit like that and go down, it motivates your teammates almost,” Crum said. “You want to play for a guy like that, you want to perform for a guy like that when he’s down and out. To not be able to pull it out for him kind of stinks.”
Attention now turns to Brown’s status long-term, as Ottawa sits tied for second in the East Division with two wins under their belt. Dyce refused to speculate about how much time, if any, his quarterback would miss, choosing to wait for an official diagnosis.
“When it’s something like this, you have no idea,” he said. “When it comes to the concussion protocol or anything like that, you go through the process but you’re never going to try and predict what the situation is. If it is a concussion, everyone handles them differently, so I can’t tell you anything on that.”
The Redblacks (2-2) will return to action on Sunday, July 14 when they visit the Edmonton Elks (0-4) at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
