Photo courtesy: David Dermer/B.C. Lions

Three members of the Ottawa Redblacks have been fined for illegal hits delivered in their Week 13 loss to the B.C. Lions, including a pair against reigning M.O.P. Nathan Rourke.

Defensive tackle Jelani Stafford was fined for a high hit against the Canadian quarterback as he was being tackled late in the second quarter. The blow to the head, which resulted in a roughing the passer penalty, appeared to cause Rourke some discomfort and resulted in the independent concussion spotter pulling him for evaluation. He did not return until after halftime.

Fellow defensive tackle Blessman Ta’ala delivered the second illegal hit on Rourke early in the third quarter, as he shot through late for a low blow at the QB’s knees. That hit was assessed a 25-yard penalty for Grade 2 roughing the passer, as review determined there were no mitigating factors which affected the defender’s aim point.

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Rourke finished the game 22-of-25 passing for 355 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Linebacker Nyles Morgan was the third Redblacks player disciplined in the loss, though he incurred fines for two separate incidents. He was reprimanded for committing a non-football act against fullback Riley Pickett in the third quarter, for which he was flagged for unnecessary roughness, as well as a blindside block on centre Michael Couture that was not penalized.

Ottawa was flagged 13 times for 154 yards in the game. B.C. went on to win 45-24.

The CFL’s department of health, safety, and integrity manages league discipline involving fines. The committee includes chief football officer Greg Dick, vice-president of officiating Darren Hackwood, associate vice-president of football operations Ryan Janzen, and associate vice-president of health and safety Eric Noivo.

As per league policy, the league does not announce the dollar amount of fines, discipline related to dress code violations, discipline involving teams or staff, or discipline involving players who have been released. The maximum allowable fine under the collective bargaining agreement is half the value of a game cheque.

The Ottawa Redblacks (0-11) are on bye this week. They will return to action on Saturday, September 12, when they visit the Toronto Argonauts.