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Nobody affected the outcome of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ CFL season-opener more than dirty, despicable Hamilton Tiger-Cats linebacker Simoni Lawrence.
Three plays into Hamilton’s 23-17 victory, Saskatchewan’s Zach Collaros slid to the turf as Lawrence crashed shoulder-first into the quarterback’s helmet. As Collaros was helped to the concussion-protocol room, he yelled profanely at his former teammate. Lawrence smirked and seemed upset he was being assessed a maximum 25-yard penalty, which set up a touchdown but ultimately left the Roughriders without their quarterback and with no hope of victory.
There’s little doubt Lawrence targeted Collaros’ head. It was a dangerous hit against a vulnerable opponent with a history of concussions. It’s the type of hit football wants removed from its game. The CFL rarely suspends players for on-field actions, as it just proved by not suspending defensive back Jonathan Rose for pushing an official. But if it doesn’t impose a two-game suspension, serial offenders like Lawrence are going to continue knocking out quarterbacks for the sake of a victory.
