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
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.