Bombers demand strong consequences after Collaros injured by heavy hit

Bombers demand strong consequences after Collaros injured by heavy hit

REGINA – Winnipeg Blue Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller didn’t mince words when voicing his frustration following a high hit to quarterback Zach Collaros late in the first half in a 35-33 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium Sunday night.

To make his message clear, Miller made sure to direct his comments to the man at the very top, commissioner Randy Ambrosie, who was in attendance for the annual Labour Day Classic between the two prairie rivals.

“At some point, maybe our commissioner will decide that we should protect quarterbacks after the play,” Miller told the Free Press. “This is ridiculous and needs to stop. We’ve seen this two years in a row now.”

With the sold-out crowd of 33,861 screaming at the top of their lungs, Collaros was on the receiving end of a heavy hit from Riders defensive lineman Miles Brown with fewer than two minutes remaining in the second quarter. Brown appeared to contact Collaros’s helmet with parts of his head and shoulder, resulting in Collaros being evaluated at the break and ultimately ruled out for the second half.

No update was provided, other than confirmation that Collaros wasn’t required, nor needed to enter the league’s concussion protocol. Collaros spent the second half on Winnipeg’s sideline and could be seen actively supporting his teammates. More tests will be done in Winnipeg.

The incident was reminiscent of last year’s Labour Day Classic, where Collaros was viciously head-butted by former Saskatchewan DL Pete Robertson late in a narrow 32-30 overtime loss. That led to Collaros, who was forced to undergo concussion protocol after the play, ripping the CFL for not properly protecting quarterbacks, while Miller also chimed in with some choice words.

“If that’s not an ejection, then what is? It’s a great question,” Miller said a year ago. “We need to protect our players, and that play right there is dangerous. Dangerous enough that a player was sent off the field because they were worried about what happened to the player that took that action. It’s not right, and it’s time for us as a league to start holding players accountable that behave like that.”

Miller echoed similar sentiments on Sunday. While both incidents were penalized for roughing the passer – the Robertson head butt needed a review by the command centre – neither player was ejected from the game.

“Any player that hits a quarterback low or in the head after the play should receive a rough play disqualification. The Saskatchewan player now has two such hits this year alone on quarterbacks.”– Winnipeg Blue Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller

“Any player that hits a quarterback low or in the head after the play should receive a rough play disqualification,” added Miller. “The Saskatchewan player now has two such hits this year alone on quarterbacks.”

The second player Miller was alluding to was former Bomber and current Ottawa Redblacks QB Dru Brown. Brown was the victim of an unnecessary low hit from the Saskatchewan Brown back on Aug. 8, leading him to not only exit the game but miss the following week as well.

Miller was referring to Rule 7, Section 2, Article 2, which covers “Rough Play,” stating that a player shall be penalized and subject to disqualification for any act of rough play against an opponent, including but not limited to:

1. Striking an opponent with the fist, hand, knee, elbow or helmet in an excessively rough manner,
2. Kicking an opponent or,
3. Any other act of excessive roughness considered by the Referee to warrant disqualification.

On Sunday, Brown was given yet another roughing-the-passer penalty on the play and nothing more.

“Change will only come when the commissioner steps in and gives a directive to the officials,” Miller said.

Asked about the hit after the game, Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea took a more cautious approach. O’Shea noted Collaros was held out in the second half for precautionary reasons.

“The guy shoulder him in the jaw late. I’m sure he’ll be fine,” O’Shea said, before being asked his opinion of the league and whether they do enough to protect quarterbacks. “But in terms of penalties and how things are managed for the league, I will not – I cannot – comment on it.”

“We got to protect our quarterbacks, especially when it’s blatant.”– Bomber running back Brady Oliveira

The Bombers locker room was filled with joy over the hard-fought win. The Bombers not only secured a valuable two points in a hostile environment, the victory also pushed Winnipeg into first place in the West Division, one point ahead of the Riders.

However, the fact Collaros wasn’t able to finish the game because of an illegal hit left a sour taste in a lot of player’s mouths.

“The way it happened pissed me off a lot,” said centre Chris Kolankowski. “That’s all I’m going to say on that.”

“The league’s got to be better with that, man,” added running back Brady Oliveira. “We got to protect our quarterbacks, especially when it’s blatant. Whether you want to call it a late hit, or at least a hit to the head, it’s something you can visibly see. It sucks when you have anyone go down, but especially a guy like Zach. League’s got to step in and be better with that.”

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Credit: Bombers demand strong consequences after Collaros injured by heavy hit