If the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are to beat the Ottawa Redblacks at TD Place Stadium on Sunday night they will likely have to do it without leading rusher James Butler.
The 29-year-old Butler has not practiced all week after landing in the Canadian Football League‘s concussion protocol.
When asked if Butler’s injury status could be a long-term issue, Ticats head coach Scott Milanovich could not provide 100 percent clarity.
“I don’t believe so,” said Milanovich, who is still trying to obtain his first win as Hamilton’s head coach after an 0-3 start to the regular season and back-to-back losses in the preseason.
“I’m not qualified to talk about concussions or evaluate concussions,” added Milanovich. “I just talk to our medical staff and they will let me know when he’s ready to go.”
Butler burst out of the starting blocks in game one of the season when he ran for a league high 119 yards on the road against the Calgary Stampeders.
However, Butler was held in check by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the last two games, limiting the Chicagoan to just 37 yards on 17 carries.
Butler was forced to leave last Sunday’s game in Regina midway through the fourth quarter after he was tackled for a three-yard loss by Roughriders defensive lineman Miles Brown.
Running back Greg Bell is set to line up in Butler’s spot against Ottawa (1-1) in the nation’s capital. The 26-year-old rookie has spent the first part of the season on the Ticats’ one game injured list.
You can listen to Sunday’s Ticats-Redblacks game on CHML radio, starting with the Pregame Show at 6 p.m. ET. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. and fans can catch The 5th Quarter postgame show 30 minutes after the final whistle.
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