Duron Carter not surprised by release, will miss Rider Nation

While it came to an abrupt end, former Riders receiver will look back fondly on his time playing in the football-mad province.

Twitter was filled with reaction after the Riders announced they had released the all-star wide receiver. It was a move that caught many off-guard, but not Carter.

“You can’t put it past any football organization that’s how it goes about,” Carter said. “No matter how good things are looking, somebody just comes and says, ‘You’re fired’ you’re really not surprised.”

Carter spoke to the media Tuesday at a promotional event for a clothing collaboration Carter did with PAYL, which turned into a way for fans to come and say goodbye to Carter.

“I had some great memories playing here, interacting with the fans. Rider Nation is definitely known for having the best fans in the CFL and I was glad to be a part of that,” Carter said.

Carter had many memorable moments with parts of Rider Nation, from treating fans to a movie to giving a game ball to cancer survivor Paige Hansen.

“Everything sticks with me, I try not to focus on pointing things out,” Carter said.

While he said there were times he wasn’t having fun playing football, he always enjoyed playing for the Roughriders.

He said it’s all about the production in the league.

“At the end of the day, I wasn’t producing on the offence enough to be part of the team.”

One of the reasons for his lack of production on the offensive side was that he spent a majority of the season on defence, an opportunity he thanked Head Coach Chris Jones for giving him.

“That was a fun experience … It definitely expanded my game and what I could do, I think it helped me a lot at receiver.”

Carter also sent out a tweet Saturday night indicating he could be considering a career change and moving away from football entirely.

https://twitter.com/DC_CHILLIN_8/status/1028476116271546368

“This is a stressful job and just taking the time to be able to relax and think about what you want to do, I’m 27 and in football years that’s 47.”

While Carter wouldn’t comment on where he might be playing football again, reports have indicated the Montreal Alouettes are the favourites to land Carter’s services.