Tiger-Cats defensive end Ja’Gared Davis was ruled ineligible to play in Friday’s game against the Montreal Alouettes after breaking COVID-19 protocols. Davis, who is now 30, signed with Hamilton in 2019. He finished his first season as a Tiger-Cat with 13 sacks, which was the second-most in the CFL at the time.

Tiger-Cats head coach Orlondo Steinauer said that Davis did not mean to break the protocols intentionally, but will still have to face the consequences of it as a result. The CFL outlined most of its virus-related safety protocols before the season started, although changes are still being made fairly often. Recently, the Edmonton Elks suffered a COVID-19 breakout, with twelve players testing positive as of August 25th. 

The Tiger-Cats do not want to end up in a similar position, nor does any other CFL team. Hopefully, Davis will be the only casualty of the protocols put in place, and he should be able to return sooner than later. Right now, the Tiger-Cats cannot afford to lose any other key pieces on either side of the ball. Friday’s game should give fans a perspective on whether or not the Tiger-Cats can be successful this season. It’s been a rough start so far, and a distraction like the virus would only make things worse.