Ryan Dinwiddie apologizes to Redblacks fans, knows they want him ‘out the door’

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Head coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie has gained an appreciation for the Ottawa Redblacks’ fanbase amid his team’s historic losing streak, but he knows that love is a one-way street right now.

“I think our fans have been great. I know they probably want me out the door, and I don’t blame them. We haven’t won a game, and I apologize to those guys. I haven’t done a good enough job,” Dinwiddie told the media following Friday’s loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

“I just think about our last home game. It wasn’t a big crowd, but they were loud, and you could see it in the fourth quarter. It was nice playing in front of that environment, and I think they did give us some juice in the last game. We didn’t give them nothing to really cheer for tonight to get them in the game. Appreciate their loyalty, and it doesn’t go unnoticed. We’re down in this locker room; we want to play well for our fans. We want to get the fanbase going, and that’s what I came here to do. Unfortunately, we haven’t got there yet.”

Dinwiddie’s arrival in Ottawa this offseason was supposed to be a glimmer of hope for the Redblacks’ beleaguered fanbase amidst years of poor results. The two-time Grey Cup champion and one-time CFL Coach of the Year was lured away from the Toronto Argonauts by a promotion following a disappointing 5-13 campaign, but that was viewed as an anomaly on his sterling resume. Unfortunately, the losing followed him to the nation’s capital.

A 34-16 decision in Week 18 dropped Ottawa to 0-15 in 2026, breaking the previous record for the worst start in CFL history set by the 0-14 Shreveport Pirates in 1994. The club is just three games away from becoming the first winless team ever and has now lost 21 straight games dating back to 2025 — a modern CFL record in itself. Dinwiddie hasn’t been around for all of that, but his own personal losing streak stands at 20 games, with his last victory coming with the Argos on Saturday, September 13, 2025.

“That was a tough one,” the 45-year-old acknowledged. “I thought we had a good first half. We should have been up more than three going into (halftime). I thought the defence gave us a chance, but we’ve got to make more of our opportunities in the first half. Second half, we had the two drops that got us off the field, and I didn’t think I called the best game in the second half. Probably should have simplified a little bit and let our guys play a little bit more.”

“I felt like we had an opportunity to change our fortunes early on in the game and then it kind of snowballed on us. We were right there in the third quarter, early fourth, and just kind of got away from us.”

This game was viewed by many as Ottawa’s best opportunity to record a win, as Hamilton was officially eliminated from playoff contention last week and had lost five in a row. The Redblacks controlled the game early and built a 16-13 lead at halftime, thanks in part to three field goals from kicker Paul Geelen, but failed to score again. The Ticats jumped in front on the final play of the third quarter and scored 21 points unanswered to ice it.

While most coaches might be on the hot seat after such a result, Dinwiddie is believed to be safe as a result of the CFL’s football operations cap. His contract would be incredibly cumbersome for Ottawa in the event of termination, which has created an emphasis on change in other areas. Already this season, defensive coordinator Will Fields and vice-president of football operations Shawn Burke have been fired, while team president Adrian Sciarra has stepped down. Notable players including Eugene Lewis and Habakkuk Baldonado have been released amidst constant roster changes.

The next step could be another change at the quarterback position, after McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed just 17-of-31 passes for 204 yards against Hamilton. Rookie third-stringer Bryson Barnes scored the team’s only touchdown in short-yardage and could be in line to start next week.

“I’m leaning towards let’s go see what we got out of Barnes and get Bryson going. I think Mac and Jake have fought their butts off, but we make it too hard on the quarterback sometimes,” Dinwiddie said on the TSN 1200 post-game show. “Tonight, we got the run game going a little bit, and then once we got down, we couldn’t get it. I thought that their defensive line, it was tough for Mac out there. They were getting after us.”

In the meantime, apathy continues to mount within the fan base. With one home game remaining, the Redblacks are averaging 15,016 fans per contest at TD Place, on track for a 17 percent decline from last season. Friday’s reported crowd of 15,308 left with even more reasons to doubt the franchise and the man in charge.

The toll of losing has been replicated in the locker room, and Dinwiddie suggested that he won’t belabour this week’s tape as a result.

“I think today was probably the biggest we’ve been deflated. You could feel it in that room,” he said. “I gave them tomorrow off as far as the rundown. We’re going to play Hamilton in a few weeks, and we can go revisit that game when we get there. Our focus is on B.C. and licking our wounds a little bit. Focus on that, and then we’ll come back and revisit tonight’s game when we play them next.”

The Redblacks (0-15) will return to action on Friday, October 9, when they visit the B.C. Lions. Kickoff is slated for 10:00 p.m. EDT.