Ottawa Redblacks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli believes the suspension handed to Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive lineman Garrett Marino was a slap on the wrist.
While Marino was given the longest suspension ever implemented by the CFL, Masoli released a statement calling out the league for its handling of the situation.
The league handed Marino three separate suspensions totalling four games for his actions during Saskatchewan's win over Ottawa. This included a two-game suspension for Marino’s hit on Masoli, a one-game suspension for a verbal comment about Masoli's heritage, and an illegal tackle on a previous play in the game.
Marino was ejected from the game following his hit on Masoli. The Ottawa quarterback had to be carted off the field and was later ruled out for 10-12 weeks due to bone surgery on his leg.
In his statement, Masoli said he has not received an apology from Marino, or anyone from the Roughriders.
"I’ve seen the poor and uninformed excuses given by Saskatchewan’s Head Coach and no apology from Garrett Marino, Coach Dickenson, or any executive from Saskatchewan," Masoli said. After playing 12 games and already with a previous ejection and two fines before this incident, it is clear Garrett Marino cannot control himself.
"The welfare and safety of CFL players do matter and we should not have to worry about those who consistently cannot play within the rules. It’s an unacceptable pattern of behaviour on top of the embarrassing way he celebrated as I was down shows how proud he is of his dirty ways."
Masoli also criticized the league for its handling of the racial insults that were directed toward him and the comments made by Craig Dickenson. The Roughriders coach said he doesn't believe Garrett should have received a suspension for the comments that he made towards Masoli.
“That may be a bit of a reach,” Dickenson told reporters after practice on Tuesday. “I’ll let the league figure that out. I’ll let the player talk to the (CFL Players’ Association) and decide if he wants to appeal that part of the suspension. It’s up to him to do what he wants to do. We support him if he wants to do it and we support him if he wants to accept it.
“I don’t think Garrett is a racist. I know Garrett personally. I know how much he’s grown in the last year. We’re not going to turn our backs on a guy who has shown that much growth in a short amount of time."
Masoli believes that since the comments made by Marino were investigated and confirmed, they should not be tolerated on and off the field.
"It’s sad that the hate and racist attitudes and racial insults are going to be punished with a slap on the wrist," Masoli explained. "One game for racist insults is simply not enough in my opinion and hopefully, we can use this to promote growth and change for the better. We need to protect the integrity of the game."
Earlier in the day, Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros came to the defence of Masoli, calling the play dirty and embarrassing for the league.
“I love Jeremiah. He was a teammate of mine for quite a while, he’s somebody I have a great deal of respect for not only as a player but as a person, as a father, as a husband. I learned a lot from my time being around him, so for something as dirty as that to happen and for him to miss games I think is ridiculous and embarrassing for the league,” Collaros told reporters after practice on Tuesday.
“When you suspend somebody or you dish out any kind of punishment and then your own union comes and defends that person, as the quarterbacks, it’s kind of a weird spot for us. Especially this season, being asked to kind of lead the charge in the strike, so it’ll be interesting to see how all this plays out.”
