Bombers cut six from roster

No football coach takes any kind of pleasure whatsoever in swinging the axe, Mike O’Shea included.

And so there were likely a couple dozen coaches and GMs across the Canadian Football League over the last few days who were more than a little surly or depressed as teams had to slice their rosters down in the first real wave of cuts.

The Bombers released six players Sunday night, making the news available to the media Monday morning. Sent packing were:

-Import defensive lineman Sammy Brown;

-Import defensive back Patrick Hall;

-Import slotback Lavasier Tuinei;

-Canadian offensive lineman Quinn Everett, a fourth-round draft pick in 2014;

-Canadian receiver Ezra Millington;

-Canadian linebacker/defensive back Dan West, who had dressed for 45 games over the past three years with the club.

As well, the Bombers placed defensive end Louie Richardson on the six-game injured list after he injured his leg in last week’s preseason win over the Toronto Argonauts.

“They’re all tough,” said O’Shea after a blustery practice Monday morning. “That’s a good thing. As I said, the competition makes these decisions tough and that’s a positive for the organization.”

O’Shea said he spoke to each player who had been released individually, but the conversations often don’t last very long.

“I try to figure out what they need to hear in terms of they just want to be told the truth of why they’re not going to be on the team,” he said. “They really don’t want it sugar-coated. It’s one of those things… if you tell them how great they are but we’re releasing you, it’s kind of confusing. So, you just tell them the truth.

“It’s not a personal message, it’s very short. It’s not a long, drawn-out thing. We’ve got some good players here who have been released. They’ll get some other opportunities, I’m sure. It’s not fun. The only way to describe it is it’s a necessary evil.”

FYI: DL Thaddeus Gibson, who missed last week’s game in Toronto due to personal reasons, is expected back soon… There were 11 players not participating Monday morning, but safety Mo Leggett was back at work. “I feel amazing,” said Leggett.

No football coach takes any kind of pleasure whatsoever in swinging the axe, Mike O’Shea included.

And so there were likely a couple dozen coaches and GMs across the Canadian Football League over the last few days who were more than a little surly or depressed as teams had to slice their rosters down in the first real wave of cuts.

The Bombers released six players Sunday night, making the news available to the media Monday morning. Sent packing were:

-Import defensive lineman Sammy Brown;

-Import defensive back Patrick Hall;

-Import slotback Lavasier Tuinei;

-Canadian offensive lineman Quinn Everett, a fourth-round draft pick in 2014;

-Canadian receiver Ezra Millington;

-Canadian linebacker/defensive back Dan West, who had dressed for 45 games over the past three years with the club.

As well, the Bombers placed defensive end Louie Richardson on the six-game injured list after he injured his leg in last week’s preseason win over the Toronto Argonauts.

“They’re all tough,” said O’Shea after a blustery practice Monday morning. “That’s a good thing. As I said, the competition makes these decisions tough and that’s a positive for the organization.”

O’Shea said he spoke to each player who had been released individually, but the conversations often don’t last very long.

“I try to figure out what they need to hear in terms of they just want to be told the truth of why they’re not going to be on the team,” he said. “They really don’t want it sugar-coated. It’s one of those things… if you tell them how great they are but we’re releasing you, it’s kind of confusing. So, you just tell them the truth.

“It’s not a personal message, it’s very short. It’s not a long, drawn-out thing. We’ve got some good players here who have been released. They’ll get some other opportunities, I’m sure. It’s not fun. The only way to describe it is it’s a necessary evil.”

FYI: DL Thaddeus Gibson, who missed last week’s game in Toronto due to personal reasons, is expected back soon… There were 11 players not participating Monday morning, but safety Mo Leggett was back at work. “I feel amazing,” said Leggett.