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Blue Bomber Report Record: 6–12–0
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Bombers' Willis headed to Riderville
Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive end Odell Willis is off to play for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. (NATHAN DENETTE / THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES)
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The Mayor of Swaggerville has been shipped out of town.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers traded defensive end Odell Willis to the Saskatchewan Roughriders late Thursday afternoon, after months of speculation things weren’t good between the club and the player.
The Bombers receive the Riders second round pick (8th overall) and fourth round pick (23rd overall) in the 2012 CFL draft. The teams also swap conditional draft choices in the 2013 draft.
Willis, a 6-2, 255-pound terror off the edge enjoyed a career season in Winnipeg last year, picking up 13 sacks and 27 tackles as he put together an all-star season. After a strong start, though, his play — and playing time — quickly fell off, and Willis and the team started to drift apart.
Those issues continued to come off this off-season, so the club decided to pull the trigger on a trade.
"We would like to thank Odell for passionate intensity and contributions to our football club the past two and a half seasons," Bombers GM Joe Mack said in a statement.
"However, it became evident through a combination of team and staff interactions, and several one-on-one discussions, that Odell no longer wanted to be a part of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
"Therefore, we felt it would be the best interest of both Odell and the organization to facilitate this trade and proceed in a different direction."
Willis first broke into the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders in 2009.
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