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Before taking questions from the media Thursday, Calgary Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson explained why DeVone Claybrooks had been absent from practice for the past two days.

The Stamps defensive coordinator wasn’t at McMahon Stadium on Wednesday or Thursday, and Dickenson took a couple minutes to offer some details about why.

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“DeVone’s sick — he’s got something (health-related),” Dickenson said. “We don’t have all the answers, but I just wanted to let people know that he went in for some tests at the hospital.

“If anything’s come about from it, we’ll let you know.”

Obviously, Claybrooks is missed at McMahon on a football level. He’s the leader of the best defence in the league, after all, and is widely considered to be one of the brightest minds in the game.

More importantly, though, the Stamps are worried about their friend, and they’ll give Claybrooks the time he needs to get the tests done and return to the field when he’s fully healthy.

That’s the priority, end of story. It’s bigger than football.

“We’ve got his back — we’ll take care of him either way but would love to see him here,” Dickenson said. “We have a plan to support (him) and also we want to see him and just talk to him a little bit, so just make sure everything’s fine.

“I’ve got my fingers crossed — I’m hopeful. I don’t think it’s anything too major.”

daustin@postmedia.com

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