CFL leaves door open for Argos' quarterback Bethel-Thompson playing in East final
Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie will have to wait until Sunday to learn who the Toronto Argonauts' starting quarterback will be in the East Division final.
The Argos held starter McLeod Bethel-Thompson out of practice and sent him home Friday after he attended the Toronto Raptors' 97-93 home win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. Bethel-Thompson's appearance violated the CFL's COVID-19 protocol, which prohibits players from attending large sporting events.
Usually, that would've meant Bethel-Thompson having to quarantine for four days and provide two negative tests before being able to resume team activities. But Toronto hosts the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the conference final Sunday afternoon at BMO Field.
On Friday, the CFL said Bethel-Thompson will be allowed to play Sunday if he produced negative PCR tests Friday and Saturday as well as a negative Rapid Antigen Test on Sunday following a 48-hour quarantine at his residence.
Argos Dexter McCoil, Charleston Hughes, Llevi Noel and Jeff Richards also attended the basketball game and were sent home by the team Friday. The CFL said the four players will be subject to the same requirements as Bethel-Thompson in order to suit up Sunday.
The CFL leaving the door open for Bethel-Thompson and the other Argos to play was a huge relief for Dinwiddie, who's completing his first season as Argos head coach.
"That's good news, I think I'll sleep better at night," he said. "You kind of get a pit in your stomach when you find out what happened.
"As a coach you kind of look after everybody else . . . it's good news. I just would feel horrible for Mac if he couldn't compete in the game Sunday."
Bethel-Thompson, 33, was 7-2 as the starter this season as Toronto (9-5) finished atop the East Division to secure home-field advantage for the final. The Argos won three-of-four regular-season meetings with second-place Hamilton (8-6).
If Bethel-Thompson can't play Sunday, backup Antonio Pipkin will go under centre for Toronto. The six-foot-three, 225-pound Pipkin started the Argos' season-ending 13-7 home loss to Edmonton on Nov. 16, completing 10-of-22 passes for 111 yards and an interception while rushing for 78 yards and a TD on nine carries.
Pipkin also has previous starting experience with the Montreal Alouettes.
Dinwiddie knows all too well what it's like to be thrust into the starting lineup. His first CFL start was in the '07 Grey Cup game for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers after incumbent Kevin Glenn was injured late in the East Division final.
Dinwiddie had a TD pass but also threw three interceptions in a 23-18 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Rogers Centre.
"The thing for me is I had the whole week to prepare to be the starter," Dinwiddie said. "If Mac can't play and we have to go with Pip, he'll have the one day (Saturday) and didn't have the whole week to get mentally focused and ready to go out Sunday and play well.
"I think anytime you get thrown into the fire it's not an ideal situation but that's why we're professionals. We have to find a way to get it done and find a way to get a win."
That will mean burning the midnight oil with Pipkin and Toronto's offensive coaches to ensure the Argos are prepared should the worst-case scenario come about. And also remaining in touch with Bethel-Thompson virtually.
"A little bit of a distraction but I think our guys are honed in and understand the importance of the game," Dinwiddie said. "We had a good talk after practice . . . you just have to find ways to overcome the adversity.
"We've had to do that (virtual meetings) all year."
Dinwiddie was unable to shed any light on why Bethel-Thompson and the other Toronto players were at the basketball game, given the CFL's COVID-19 protocols. Both the Argos and Raptors are owned by Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment.
"I think it was an honest mistake," said Dinwiddie. "We're trying to do our best to follow all the protocols and rules.
"I just think we're trying to promote the game and promote the league at the same time to get some fans in the seats and make it a good thing."
Video of Bethel-Thompson holding his infant daughter at the NBA game was carried on the Argos' Twitter account Thursday night but was no longer available Friday. However, it was up long enough for Hamilton receiver Brandon Banks to notice.
"Wow when I tried to go to Raptors game the CFL told me I couldn't go!" Banks tweeted.
Bethel-Thompson also appeared on TSN's broadcast of the Raptors-Bucks game. TSN is the CFL's broadcast partner.
"So lemme get this straight," TSN's Kayla Grey, who interviewed Bethel-Thompson during the broadcast, tweeted Friday. "a starting quarterback goes on a national broadcast to promote an East Final that he is now forced to miss because the league is forcing him to quarantine for going to a game to promote said East Final?
"Baby what a mess."
TSN and CTV News are both divisions of Bell Media.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women in Winnipeg, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Trudeau Liberals to unveil new bill Monday aimed at countering foreign interference
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be tabling legislation on Monday aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada. Federal officials have scheduled a technical briefing on the incoming bill for Monday afternoon.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.