Durant slags the swag

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This article was published 14/09/2011 (5471 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA — Darian Durant has had enough of Swaggerville.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback expressed those feelings Tuesday as the CFL team returned to practice at Mosaic Stadium for the first time since beating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 45-23 on Sunday. The win completed a two-game sweep of the Blue Bombers, who had renamed Winnipeg “Swaggerville” in recognition of their dominating defence.

The nickname was part some good-natured fun between the border rivals leading up to the Labour Day Classic on Sept. 4 and the Banjo Bowl on Sunday. Some fans had gone as far as to paste Swaggerville over the Saskatchewan sign at border leading into the province.

The Riders then knocked some of the swagger out of the Bombers with a 27-7 win in the Classic and with Sunday’s pounding in Winnipeg. Late in Sunday’s game Durant got into some give-and-take with fans at Canad Inns Stadium.

“Winnipeg had been playing well and winning and they had labelled themselves Swaggerville,” Durant said. “When you come into Saskatchewan and put that on our signs… That’s disrespectful and I’m not going to let that ride.”

Durant, who completed four touchdown passes on Sunday to lead the Riders over the Blue Bombers, was replaced in the fourth quarter by Ryan Dinwiddie when the Roughriders had the game in hand. Durant had apparently had enough of the fans by that point of the game.

“They were after us all game,” Durant said. “From the start to the finish they were telling us how we sucked — telling me how my mother should be ashamed of me. It was all kind of things. I wanted to take the high road and I did that for three quarters. When they start disrespecting me and my family, I have a problem with that. They were also disrespecting this province. I don’t like that and we don’t do that to them. I don’t want to hear that from people.”

Riders head coach Ken Miller said Tuesday he wasn’t aware of what took place between Durant and the Winnipeg fans. Miller said it was something that he might address.

“We’re not supposed to pay any attention to that,” Miller said. “We’re professionals and our game is on the field. It doesn’t have anything to do with what happens in the stands. We appreciate our fans and the enthusiasm they have, but other people shouldn’t affect us either way.”

— Postmedia News