If his decision to send the videotape of the incident had nothing personal to the player or the University of Sherbrooke’s Vert & Or, Glen Constantin is convinced that the RSEQ should make the decision to impose a one-match ban on the offending player public has made.
• Also read: University football: a leave of absence that did the Rouge et Or a lot of good and corrected the deficiencies of the first game in Sherbrooke
Safety Benjamin Huot was suspended one game for a tackle on the head of quarterback Arnaud Desjardins in the second quarter of the opening game between the Rouge et Or and the Vert & Or on August 25. He didn’t face the Redbirds last Friday.
“The Sherbrooke player is a good young man, but I wanted the RSEQ decision to be made public so that our club shows that it cares about the safety of our players,” explained the Rouge et Or head coach not that he misses a game without knowing the reason. The suspension didn’t do us any good because he missed a game against McGill, but the message that we care about the safety of the players was important to us.
Constantin supports his player
Constantin can’t blame Jean-Antoine Dean-Rios for defending his quarterback. The blocker was sent off for his action and received an automatic one-game suspension.
“I support his action because we have to protect the quarterbacks,” he said. It’s sad that he was suspended, but I understand the decision, although I find it harsh. He suffered excessive force, he struck with his helmet and there was a delay between the two actions. These are three criteria that lead to exclusion.”
Nathaniel Dumoulin-Duguay welcomes his teammate’s gesture. “Jean-Antoine protected the backs of our quarterback and the entire team,” the third-year blocker said. It’s 100 percent unfair that he’s suspended, but that’s the rule. We lose a big part, but we know that Maxime-Olivier is capable of doing the job.”
Video playback
Constantin wants officials to have access to video footage to review a decision during a game. “I understand that there is every other game that is not televised and that it is not fair to the two teams that are not on TV, but that is not a good reason to jeopardize the safety of the players .”
Dean-Rios will be back on September 17th when the Université de Montréal Carabins visit. “He will do it against Montreal,” assured Constantin, who is very happy with the work done by Maxime-Olivier Cabana to relieve the pressure.
A starter does not typically lose position when returning from injury, and the same considerations apply in this case.