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Offensive and defensive game plans factor in players’ nationalities when personnel packages are being formed, but once the game starts and injuries start happening …

I struggle to believe that there is a coach or official who knows the nationality of every player in every game, and who keeps account when each and every player enters and leaves the gridiron.

Many, many times over my 10-year CFL career, I left the playing field without telling anyone — except my American backup.

My team was never fined, nor did it garner any attention from the league or from anyone else. Therefore, it’s easy to believe that the Riders violated the rule by not fielding enough Canadians, but it is fairly apparent that someone must be watching the Riders very closely in order for this violation to become an issue.

While under the microscope, the Chris Jones-coached Riders were found to have practised with ineligible players, with players who are on the six-game injured list, and with free agents who worked out with players who are under contract.

Players on the six-game injured list earn their contracted salary, but do not count against the team’s salary cap unless they are activated. The details have changed since I played, but general managers have used the injured list to “hide” healthy players and keep them under contract — whether that is right or wrong — forever.

Teams are allowed 10 practice-roster players. These players have a locker and a playbook and need to be identified, but they’re not bound by a CFL contract and so they’re technically not on the team. Any of the other eight CFL teams may claim them and add them to their own rosters.