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He re-signed with the Riders on Sept. 12 and injured a shoulder during a 27-19 win over the Tiger-Cats three days later. He returned to the roster Nov. 4 for the final regular-season game, in which he scored two touchdowns — one rushing and another on a reception — in a 28-13 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos.

In the East Division semi-final, Thigpen had 15 carries for 169 yards — including a 75-yard touchdown romp — in a 31-20 win over the Ottawa Redblacks.

Thigpen wasn’t utilized to the same degree in the East Division final, being limited to 34 yards on seven carries and two receptions for 16 yards as the Toronto Argonauts defeated the Riders 25-21.

He signed a one-year contract extension late in the 2017 season. Thigpen was looking forward to another season with the Riders while building off what happened in 2017.

On March 12, however, Thigpen was suspended for two games after testing positive for dehydrochloromethyltestosterone, an anabolic steroid. He said he was surprised by the positive test and wasn’t sure what led to it, but did learn a lesson while on the sideline.

“I learned to really pay attention to what I put in my body,” Thigpen said. “Don’t take anything that can harm me or harm the team for not being able to help us get those wins that we need. More importantly, it’s about protecting my own safety and my own health. That’s the big thing that I learned from it.”

With the suspension out of the way, the Riders have welcomed him back and all that he brings to the team.