{"id":110759,"date":"2026-06-30T21:03:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T21:03:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/110759\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T21:03:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T21:03:07","slug":"dru-brown-addresses-ottawa-redblacks-departure-defends-arm-strength","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/110759\/","title":{"rendered":"Dru Brown addresses Ottawa Redblacks departure, defends arm strength"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJohn Hodge\/3DownNation. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n

Dru Brown made his first appearance in practice with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Tuesday afternoon, giving him a chance to respond to the criticism that was aired by Ottawa Redblacks head coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie<\/a> after last week\u2019s trade.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Dinwiddie) said that it was just an arm strength thing, that\u2019s what he told me. That\u2019s his opinion, and he\u2019s entitled to that, and he makes the calls over there. I wasn\u2019t his guy and that\u2019s OK,\u201d Brown told the media on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Arm strength concerns aren\u2019t) something I\u2019ve gotten before. That\u2019s kind of how he saw it, but I\u2019ve never really felt like that before, or it\u2019s ever held me back situationally in a game, being able to cut it loose. No, I\u2019ve never heard that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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It doesn\u2019t appear the Blue Bombers share Dinwiddie\u2019s concerns regarding Brown\u2019s arm strength.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he delivers the ball on time to the right person, and when you make good decisions quickly, everything looks good,\u201d said head coach Mike O\u2019Shea. \u201cAnd on top of that, I don\u2019t think he\u2019s lacking arm strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dinwiddie told the media last week in Ottawa that Brown became \u201ca little bit of a distraction\u201d for the Redblacks<\/a> after he requested his release from the team. The request was made shortly after Brown was informed that Jake Maier would be the team\u2019s starting quarterback in 2026, a decision that was made after the team\u2019s first preseason game.<\/p>\n

Brown confirmed that he made the request, though he doesn\u2019t seem to believe his behaviour was much of a distraction.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s his opinion, and that\u2019s OK. I\u2019ve never really felt that way about myself, and I don\u2019t think many people would say that,\u201d said Brown. \u201cAny confrontation that was had was in private. I probably was visually upset for a couple days, and they gave me some grace in those couple of days knowing the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite his criticism, Dinwiddie acknowledged that Brown did his best to support Maier in the starting role. Maier was also complimentary of Brown, and the two quarterbacks clearly share mutual respect.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Jake. I actually talked to him on the phone last night. He\u2019s a great guy, someone that I\u2019ll be friends with for a long time, and I\u2019m super happy for him and his family,\u201d said Brown. \u201cI did try to be a good teammate over there, especially to Jake, and just let him know that I\u2019m there for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe and my family really enjoyed our time in Ottawa. I had a lot of great teammates there, had some coaches that believed in me, and I kind of just take it as it was a lot of fun, and I gave everything I had to the organization for the time that I was there. People make decisions, and then as a player, you have to take it and kinda move on. I don\u2019t stew over it too long. It\u2019s just, OK, what\u2019s next?\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the timing the of the trade, which cost the Blue Bombers a first-round pick in the 2027 CFL Draft, O\u2019Shea indicated that Winnipeg wanted to strike before another club offered more in exchange for Brown. All nine starting quarterbacks are currently healthy in the CFL, though it\u2019s only a matter of time before one gets hurt and the Redblacks would have had more leverage in negotiations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was going to be us or somebody else,\u201d he said. \u201cThe price became right for the organization to add a very intelligent, competitive veteran quarterback.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s important that we\u2019ve got the right group of guys in here right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s unclear when Brown will be available to play, though he indicated it\u2019s a pretty seamless transition given that he worked with offensive coordinator Tommy Condell in Ottawa. O\u2019Shea was also complimentary of Brown\u2019s ability to learn, saying he\u2019s a faster study than most.<\/p>\n

The 29-year-old also indicated that he and the team have yet to discuss a possible contract extension or renegotiation. For now, he\u2019s simply pleased to be back in Bomberland.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy happiness for being here outweighs any hate in my heart that I have for anybody,\u201d said Brown. \u201cI loved my time here, and I think I created a lot of relationships with the whole operation here \u2014 teammates, management, coaches, and all that. Obviously, you never know how those things are going to play out, but I\u2019m super happy to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Blue Bombers (1-2) will visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-1) at Hamilton Stadium on Sunday, July 5 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Blue Bombers are coming off a 23-18 loss to the Edmonton Elks, while the Tiger-Cats were on bye.<\/p>\n

The weather forecast in Hamilton calls for a high of 28 degrees and a 40 percent chance of rain. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg or Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton.<\/p>\n

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John Hodge is a longtime Canadian football reporter, insider, and podcaster for 3DownNation. Based in Winnipeg, Hodge is also a freelance television and radio broadcaster and curling reporter for Rock Channel.<\/p>\n

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