Stampeders LB Judge Suspends Game Over Punch Against Whitehead – TSN.ca

CALGARY — The Calgary Stampeders won’t have stalwart Canadian linebacker Cameron Judge Saturday night as they wrap up their home-and-home streak with the BC Lions.

Judge was suspended for a game by the CFL on Tuesday for a post-game altercation involving BC receiver Lucky Whitehead following the Lions’ 31-29 win in overtime Saturday night at McMahon Stadium was. The judge said he has no plans to appeal the ban, meaning he will not play when the two teams meet again at BC Place.

“It’s very disappointing,” Judge said after Tuesday’s practice in Calgary. “I feel like I let my team down and that’s not usually something I do, but it happened and I feel bad about it.

“I hope the guys stand up to me out there and get the win.”

After the game, Judge Whitehead, who had his helmet off, approached on the field and punched the Lions player, knocking Whitehead to the ground. This sparked a melee on the field involving Lions and Stampeders players when Judge was eventually led off the field.

A group of Lions players then made their way to the Calgary locker room, but were met by the police and security guards already there. Nothing else happened except some shouting between players from both teams.

There was no reason for the judge’s actions, although there were reports that Whitehead had made disparaging remarks about a member of the judge’s family. But Judge wouldn’t reveal what Whitehead said to infuriate him.

“I think the people who need to hear what happened heard it,” Judge said. “I definitely could have handled it better than I did, but I’ll take my punishment and move on.”

The two teams combined in the game for 21 penalties for 215 yards (Calgary was tagged 12 times for 128 yards, BC was called nine times for 87 yards).

After the competition, Whitehead called Judge in a tweet and said, “I’m praying he travels next week.”

But that won’t be the case.

“I respect what the league is doing. They’re in charge,” Calgary head coach Dave Dickenson said of the suspension. “I think Cam basically has to speak for himself.

“I just want our boys to understand that we have to compete, we have to work. We really don’t need any of that extracurricular stuff.”

A win Saturday night would see the Lions (9-3) earn their first CFL playoff spot since 2018.

Calgary (8-5-0) and the Lions could cement their place in the playoffs with a Stampeders win and losses for Hamilton and Ottawa. The Ticats (4-9) visit Montreal (5-7) on Friday night while the Redblacks (3-9) host Toronto (7-5) on Saturday night.

The judge’s absence will be a major one for Calgary. He had nine tackles, a sack and a forced fumble and fumble recovery against BC last weekend.

“We’re a team. We’re definitely going to have a plan,” Dickenson said. “I think he was as good as any of our defenders.

“I think he has a chance to bring home some hardware maybe even on an individual basis this year but Cam is a team guy. We enjoy having him on the team. He’s a hard worker. It will be a loss but we have people who can replace him.

“Things can happen in life and you address them and learn from them. I would hope you learn and do better next time.”

The CFL’s penalty comes a day after the NFL suspended Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Evans for a game following an on-field altercation in the Buccaneers’ 20-10 win over New Orleans on Sunday.

Evans and Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore were knocked out of the game for their role in an on-field incident sparked by a shove between Lattimore and Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette.

That came after Lattimore and Tampa quarterback Tom Brady exchanged words.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on September 20, 2022.

— With files from Donna Spencer in Calgary.