The Saskatchewan Roughriders have relieved defensive line coach Mike Scheper of his defensive line coaching duties.

“The decision to let Mike go was a difficult one. Mike is a tireless worker and a dedicated coach. In spite of this, we felt this decision was the right one for the team. We thank Mike for his work and wish him the very best in the future,” head coach Craig Dickenson said in a statement.

Scheper spent the last three seasons with Saskatchewan after being hired for a second time by the Riders, he coached in 2009 and 2010. Coaches from the remaining staff will work with the defensive line until a new coach is hired for the unit.

“Honestly, it was just a situation where the chemistry of the room wasn’t quite right and we felt like we needed to make a change that way. Mike’s a good football coach, a good friend of mine, it was a very difficult decision, but it was football-related and we just feel like for the sake of the team we were better off making the change now rather than later,” Dickenson said.

“It wasn’t anything he was doing negatively in terms of his interactions with the guys. It’s important that the room is good and we felt like we needed to make a change for the sake of the team.”