The Canadian Football League’s most ardent fans weren’t the least bit surprised, but the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ Chris Edwards fired up again Saturday in the Alouettes’ 27-12 victory with less than a minute left in the East Section semifinals.
• Also read: The Alouettes advance to the Eastern final
Visibly frustrated with the loss, the Ti-Cats’ controversial number 24 threw a few punches that led to a scuffle on the field. Several soccer fans, whether from Montreal or Hamilton, immediately condemned Edwards’ actions on social media. Many of them even went so far as to demand that this player be banned from the Canadian circuit.
“At the end of the game, when you know the season is over, there are a lot of emotions attached to it,” Alouettes head coach Jason Maas wisely commented at a press conference, without ever directly mentioning Edwards’ name. It is sad. I don’t think it’s good for the league. Personally, I don’t like to see that.”
Crowd on the field in the last minute of the fourth quarter. Photo Martin Chevalier
“Luckily someone intervened before an injury occurred, but it’s still a black eye,” Maas added. I don’t feel good when it happens.”
Antwi suspended?
Among the Alouettes players, Jeshrun Antwi was ejected from the game after he left the team’s bench to attack Edwards. Could he be suspended for next weekend’s Eastern final against the Argonauts in Toronto?
“I don’t believe that,” said Maas. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and that’s honestly what worries me the most. For the Hamilton boys they are aiming for next year, but for us it would be a big loss if Antwi couldn’t be there [au prochain match].”
Maas is optimistic and recalls that there was bad blood in Ottawa last week in the Argos’ last regular season game and all the Toronto club’s players escaped with fines.
Incidentally, Edwards is the same player who, at the end of the game on Friday, June 23, in Hamilton, pretended to shake Austin Mack’s hand before secretly pushing the Montreal club’s pass catcher to the ground. The Alouettes then won 38 to 12. After his actions against Mack, Edwards received the maximum penalty, half his salary for one game.