Advertisement

Report: Chris Jones tells Dave Dickenson "Win with some class" after roster saga

Report: Chris Jones tells Dave Dickenson "Win with some class" after roster saga

The Calgary Stampeders' 19-10 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina Saturday came with an extra side of post-game drama. There was plenty of tension leading into this one, given the Riders' recent $65,000 fine for "compromising the reputation of the CFL" over the "pre-practice squad" of non-roster players they were paying and the role Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell played in bringing that to light, and that continued throughout the game with insults and boos lobbed at Mitchell both from the stands and on Twitter. The drama continued after the game as well, with quite the post-game confrontation between Calgary head coach Dave Dickenson and Saskatchewan head coach and general manager Chris Jones. According to Postmedia's Scott Mitchell, Jones told Dickenson "Win with some class."

In the moments following the Stampeders’ 19-10 win over the Riders on Saturday at Mosaic Stadium, Jones and Stamps head coach Dave Dickenson exchanged words on the field.

Asked after the game about the encounter, Dickenson wouldn’t reveal what was said, but he clearly wasn’t thrilled.

“It wasn’t, certainly, anything that was complimentary, so it really doesn’t need to be repeated,” Dickenson said. “I’m not saying. It certainly wasn’t a compliment, but we’re moving on. We’re moving to the next game.”

While that next game is a very important one on the Left Coast against the B.C. Lions next Friday, the Roughriders are still going to be a team on the lips of the Stampeders.

According to a source, Jones’ comment to Dickenson was “Win with some class.”

This is far from the first time Jones has come under fire for sideline or postgame behaviour, as he was fined in 2014 with Edmonton for violating pre-game protocol and holding his players back until after the national anthem and fined last week for violating league ratio rules against the Lions. He also famously refused to shake hands several times with former Calgary head coach John Hufnagel (the Stampeders' current general manager) after games; Hufnagel was Jones' former boss in Calgary, but they parted on bad terms in 2012, with Jones suddenly leaving to join the Toronto Argonauts.

There probably isn't any league rule about how Jones has to act after games or what comments he can make, but this kind of behaviour certainly won't help his already poorly-regarded status with fans of the league's other eight teams. They aren't the ones he needs to win over, though, and Jones' belligerent attitude and lack of real apology or comment over the roster mess generally haven't received a lot of criticism from Rider fans. They may help to intensify an "us-against-the-world" mentality, which might be a decent distraction from the team's 1-6 record. In any case, Jones' comments are unlikely to create further discipline, and they're unlikely to hurt him with Saskatchewan fans, many of whom (judging by the Twitter comments directed at Mitchell in particular) are still annoyed about the role Calgary played in their roster fine. They certainly add even more fuel to this rivalry, though, and it's a pity this will be the last time these teams play each other this year unless the Riders somehow miraculously make the playoffs. To get there, Jones will need much more than just talk, though.