It turned out the Saskatchewan Roughriders were not saying good-bye to Shaq Cooper when they released him at the end of training camp, it turns out that it was more of a see you later message.
This week, the running back resigned with the Riders to provide some depth in the backfield for a key matchup against a divisional opponent.
Cooper will be on the Riders roster this week when the green and white meet the BC Lions. The Coral Gables product will replace Frankie Hickson, who’s out of the lineup with an illness.
During the preseason, Cooper appeared in the two preseason games with Saskatchewan recording five carries for eight yards, one catch for seven yards and returning three kickoffs for 77 yards.
The running back said he got the call on Tuesday from the Riders was on his way back to Saskatchewan shortly afterwards. The offer was not the first one Cooper received after being released by Saskatchewan as he said that he turned down offers from two other teams.
Familiarity with the team’s playbook was a big reason why the 29 year old chose the Riders.
“This is the call I was looking for, I know the system, I know the players, I know the coaches, I’m comfortable here.”
He added that it’s apart of the procedure of waiting for a callback after being released.
“It’s a process, staying down until it’s your turn, whenever you get your turn, you just got to show up.”
On Friday, Cooper will dress for the Riders, Head Coach Craig Dickenson says that his role will probably be limited but it could always expand if the team runs into injury problems.
“We need him to go in the game if we get an injury to Jamal (Morrow) , he’s only been here a day so he’s not going to tote the rock a lot but we do have him playing some special teams and he’s got to know the offence well enough if we get an injury that we can put him in there, and I think he can.”
Relearning the playbook should not be an issue for the CFL veteran, along with spending training camp with the Riders, he also spent time with offensive coordinator, Jason Maas for a couple of seasons in Edmonton.
Watching from a distance, Cooper was still rooting for the Riders in the early part of the season, especially his fellow running back Jamal Morrow who leads the league the CFL in rushing and in combined yards.
Another reason the running back decided to rejoin the Roughriders was because of the bond inside of the team’s locker room.
“They welcomed me back like I’ve been here forever, I was only with these guys for camp, it’s just like the brotherhood, just being here, the love, the energy, it was a blessing to get that call again.”
The Riders will welcome one of Cooper’s former teams, the BC Lions tomorrow night to Mosaic Stadium.
You can catch the game on 620 CKRM, Countdown to Kickoff begins at 4:00, with an opening kickoff at 7:00.
