Photos: Ottawa Redblacks unveil new jerseys

Ottawa's forthcoming return to the CFL got one step closer Tuesday night with the Redblacks' unveiling of their new uniforms at an event for season-ticket holders and other special guests. About 1,200 fans were on hand to see a group of Redblacks' players show off the new uniforms, including quarterback Henry Burris, defensive back Eric Fraser and fullback Patrick Lavoie. The uniforms bring back the Rough Riders' old red, black and white colours, but they also include plenty of new stylistic elements; one particularly noticeable change is that the jersey numbers incorporate the team's saw-blade logo, a nod to the region's logging history. You can see the new black-and-red home uniform above in a photo from the team's website; the away uniforms and other shots from the ceremony are included in tweets below.

These are certainly a different look (for comparison, here are some of the Renegades' black and white uniforms, and some of the Rough Riders' last black and white uniforms) and they'll probably work well for the team. They maintain the colours traditionally associated with Ottawa teams, which is a nice nod to history, but they're also quite unique in their own right. The helmets incorporate Rouge Et Noir, which should help the franchise appeal to French-speaking fans. The black and red home jerseys in particular are impressive and distinctive, and they're a long way from what any other CFL team is doing; while the Calgary Stampeders, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and B.C. Lions have all used black jerseys of one sort or another, none are particularly close to the Redblacks' new design. The ultimate verdict on these jerseys will be how popular they are with fans (those interested can purchase them through the league's store here), but from this corner, it looks like the Redblacks have taken another solid step towards their CFL debut this summer.