Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive lineman Nicholas Dheilly has retired from professional football, the team announced on Thursday.
The 26-year-old had appeared in five games this season in a depth capacity, recording a pair of special teams tackles. He also missed two contests with a shoulder injury.
Dheilly was originally selected with the 46th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2020 CFL Draft by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, playing in four games for the team as a rookie before moving back home to Saskatchewan. Between the two organizations, he played in 19 career CFL games over four seasons, recording one defensive tackle and six on special teams.
The Regina native began his collegiate career playing for his hometown University of Regina Rams. As a freshman, he was named the 2016 Canada West Rookie of the Year, recording 30 tackles, four sacks and one interception. In his next season, he was named a Canada West all-star, notching 26 defensive tackles and 6.5 sacks.
In 2018, Dheilly left the Rams to play for the British Columbia Junior Football League’s Okanogan Sun and was named an all-star after an eight-sack season. He returned to university football in 2019, suiting up for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies where he made 24 defensive tackles, six sacks and one interception before entering the 2020 Draft.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-2) will host the Edmonton Elks (0-7) on Saturday, August 3 at 7:00 p.m. EDT.
