Redblacks sign lineman who misrepresented vaccination status
The Ottawa Redblacks have signed an offensive lineman who was released from his last team after misrepresenting his COVID-19 vaccination status.
Jacob Ruby, 29, has signed a two-year deal with the Redblacks, the team announced Monday.
The London, Ont. native was released from the Edmonton Elks last summer after he misrepresented his vaccination status. He subsequently apologized.
“I made a mistake in misrepresenting my vaccination status,” he told reporters on Monday. “I think I paid the consequences for that.”
Ruby said he has since gotten vaccinated against COVID-19.
“I got that done and out of the way and I’m just looking forward to being able to participate and play football and be a contributor to this team and this city.”
He said he had a meeting with CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie shortly after he was released, and Ottawa wasn’t the only team interested in signing him.
“It was a difficult conversation, but it was a positive one,” he said. “After that, I felt like I would be back, and Ottawa made it a very easy decision for me.
“I’m extremely excited and very thankful to be here.”
Ruby was drafted eighth overall in the 2015 CFL draft by the Montreal Alouettes. He signed with Edmonton in 2017 and became a regular on their offensive line.
"Having skilled Canadians on the offensive line is critical in the CFL and we're thrilled to be able to add a veteran presence like Jacob Ruby to our group," Redblacks general manager Shawn Burke said in the release.
"Jacob brings size and experience to our front five and will be a great fit with what we're building here."
Before his CFL career, Ruby was a four-year starter at the University of Richmond in Virginia.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.