The Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League are denying a report that they worked out former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel -- and are threatening legal action against the website that made the report.
The Roughriders working out Manziel would violate CFL rules because he’s on the negotiation list of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. CFL teams acquire American players by first placing them on their negotiation lists, thereby gaining the exclusive rights to negotiate with, contact or employ those players.
Per TSN in Canada, Roughriders G.M. Chris Jones said his team is considering legal action against 3DownNation, a site devoted to the CFL that made the initial report.
The CFL said in a statement that the matter is under investigation but “it appears the report is false.” A spokesperson for Manziel also denied the report to TSN.
Manziel has made clear he wants to get back into football, and the Tiger-Cats put him on their negotiation list knowing he may have to go the CFL route to prove himself before getting even another sniff at the NFL.