Montreal Alouettes allege another crotch punch from B.C. Lions

3DownNation has independently obtained video that appears to show a similar incident from the previous game in Week 14.

Near the middle of the screen at the 21-second mark, it appears as though B.C. Lions special teams player Maxime Rouyer makes contact with Régis Cibasu’s groin area. This clip is from when the two teams met at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium on Friday, September 4, one week before Hagerty allegedly struck Talbot in the groin on a punt.

Archambault indicated the play did not result in an injury to Cibasu, though the incident was noticed by Montreal’s coaching staff during film review. The similarities between the two plays were difficult to ignore.

“Cibasu mauled (Rouyer). It was at the end that the B.C. player tried to hit him there,” Archambault alleged. “Régis held his block and didn’t get injured, thankfully. But he tried it, and you ask yourself, ‘Why?’ And why did two different players do it? Why on the same unit? I’m still waiting for an answer.”

3DownNation‘s requests to interview Rouyer and B.C. special teams coordinator Dennis McKnight on Thursday were declined. The Lions provided the following statement in response to Archambault’s comments.

“Our team takes pride in playing the game the right way and within the rules. The CFL stats back that up, as we enter this week as the league’s least penalized team. The idea that we encourage and condone these plays is unequivocally false.”

3DownNation has contacted multiple former CFL players who played under McKnight, each of whom indicated that the alleged actions of Hagerty and Rouyer were not representative of any technique they were taught by him or any other CFL coach.

Archambault stopped short of speculating whether the two plays were connected or what potential discipline could be.

“It’s not my job to voice what the penalty should be,” the veteran coach said. “Coaches coach, players play, and arbitration needs to do what they’re supposed to do.”

Alouettes react to Hagerty suspension

Fresh off a bye week, Archambault declined to offer an opinion regarding the length of Hagerty’s suspension.

“I won’t comment on the suspension,” he said. “It’s not my place.”

Defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund was more direct when asked whether the penalty matched the consequences of the play.

“No, it’s definitely not enough,” he said. “I don’t make decisions, and I guess there is a benchmark that they follow, but you can ask anybody in existence, and they’ll tell you, ‘No.’ I have people calling me to tell me it’s not enough, but what am I going to do? We have to move forward as a team.”

Head coach Jason Maas acknowledged the difficult balance the league has to reach when determining the punishment.

“It’s something I don’t control,” Maas said. “The league did what they could do within the realm of the rules, the CBA, and setting precedent and all that stuff. Two games is a lot when you look at a suspension. Is it tit for tat with a guy who is going to miss the rest of the season? No, but it’s not for me to say what it should be.”

Despite reservations regarding the length of the suspension, Maas believes the league sent an important message.

“I’m glad they did something about it,” he said. “Ultimately, they recognized it is wrong, and I hope there is awareness out there in our league about protecting players and players protecting themselves. I thought that was accomplished.”

Alouettes rallying around Talbot

Beyond the questions surrounding discipline and player safety, members of the Alouettes say their focus remains on supporting Talbot as he begins what is expected to be a lengthy recovery.

Adeyemi-Berglund said the team’s motivation has only grown stronger following the injury.

“One hundred percent. It’s just about taking every day as it comes,” he said. “It is a guy who did the right things, who worked hard, who always came out with a smile. It’s one of those things where you want to continue doing that, and every day we come to practice thinking about him. Even last game, we dedicated it to him.”

The veteran defender added that Talbot’s presence continues to be felt inside the locker room despite his absence from the field.

“Everything we can do to get a win for him, we’ll do it. It’s important to keep him in our hearts,” said Adeyemi-Berglund. “It would mean the world to win the Grey Cup for him.”

As Talbot faces a difficult road ahead, his teammates remain determined to ensure his season-ending injury becomes a source of motivation rather than discouragement, carrying his name with them as they continue their pursuit of a ninth Grey Cup.