Riders quarterback Cody Fajardo asked to speak to the media on Tuesday. He wanted to apologize publicly for comments he made criticizing his teammates.
Fajardo said that he shouldn’t “throw those guys under the bus like that. It was totally uncalled for.”
After Saturday’s loss in Calgary, Fajardo put much of the blame on himself and then added “We just need to find a guy who can go down and make a play, other than Schaffer-Baker, who’s going to draw a double team. That’s the biggest thing.” Fajardo regretted those words very quickly.
“The guys did a tremendous job (I realized after) watching the film,” he says. “I just wish I would have taken some more time after the game just to re-assess myself, because my emotions were running high.”
With the final pass of the game being intended for Ricardo Louis–in a double-team–Louis has been swept into the ‘make a play’ conversation.
“I talked to Ricardo about it,” says the QB. “It’s just unfortunate it came down and he happened to be the guy on the last play. I spazzed out like a child on the sideline–like someone took my toy away.”
Fajardo led a team meeting on the field after practice on Tuesday, to allow for the airing of grievances. He says some players had heard, or heard about, his comments. And Fajardo wanted to talk it out.
“Get whatever you have off your chest and let’s talk about it. Because we are brothers,” he says.
“Sometimes I say things I don’t mean in the heat of the moment, but I do love those guys and I know what they do for me, the way they fight for me.
“I think we got a much closer unit from it.”
