Riders’ Dolegala charged with impaired driving

Saskatchewan Roughriders third-string quarterback Jake Dolegala delivered some news on Sunday and an apology on Monday.

Dolegala told members of the CFL team’s front office Sunday that he had been charged with impaired driving in Regina during the team’s bye week.

“It’s obviously a difficult conversation to have, but I wanted to be upfront with it and put everything on the table,” Dolegala said after practice Monday. “No secrets.”

According to court documents, Dolegala is facing charges of impaired driving and operating a vehicle while having a blood-alcohol content above .08. His first appearance in Regina Provincial Court is set for Oct. 26 at 9:30 a.m.

The White Butte RCMP issued a media release late Monday afternoon, saying the incident happened Sept. 17 at about 8:30 p.m. Officers responded after getting a call about a possible impaired driver at a business on Great Plains Road in Emerald Park.

Officers found the driver and he was arrested.

Head coach Craig Dickenson said Dolegala was “ashamed” when he broke the news of his arrest, but Dickenson was glad the rookie QB had come forward.

“We want to be transparent with this city, our province (and) with the media and we need help from our players,” Dickenson said. “For him to own up to it … I thought that was a good first step hopefully in healing and getting back on track.”

The Roughriders issued a statement Monday saying Dolegala was being suspended for one game in the wake of his arrest. They also said they have notified the league’s office of the situation.

“Drinking and driving is a significant problem in our province, one that can have dangerous consequences, and we are disappointed in Jake for his actions,” the statement said. “We are taking this incident seriously.”

Dolegala declined to go into details about the incident, saying he was seeking legal counsel. He did take the opportunity to apologize to his teammates, to the Roughriders’ fans and to the organization.

“It’s difficult and embarrassing to go through something like this,” he said. “I never want to be a distraction to our goal (and) to what we want to accomplish this year with playoffs coming up. It’s just a terrible time.”

Saskatchewan is 6-8-0 and sits in fourth place in the West Division. The Roughriders are to visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday.

Dickenson said he hopes Dolegala learns from the incident, noting “he has some things to do to make things right.”

It’s not the first time Dickenson has had to deal with issues this season, with players being fined, suspended or released for their on-field actions. The Dolegala situation isn’t necessarily the same, but it is another distraction for the head coach to have to handle.

“It’s just stuff that you don’t want to deal with,” Dickenson said. “He made a bad choice (and) he’s got some legal stuff he’s got to get figured out. He knows it.”

Dolegala, a 25-year-old product of Hamburg, N.Y., is in his first season with the Roughriders. He has appeared in two games so far this season, completing 16 of 35 pass attempts for 154 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and rushing twice for 12 yards.

A product of Central Connecticut State University, Dolegala signed with the Roughriders as a free agent in February.