ROUGHRIDERS' FAJARDO DESERVES BETTER TREATMENT

Extreme fan reactions to a couple of substandard games disrespectful, unfair

Leave it to a few gormless reactionaries to ruin a good thing.

Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo, a great gift to the fans with whom he has routinely interacted via Twitter, recently felt compelled to restrict the time he spent on social media.

The decision was prompted by extreme reactions that he had noted during a period in which the Roughriders suffered backto-back losses to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The Roughriders rebounded, however, with Friday's 30-16 CFL victory over the visiting Toronto Argonauts, against whom Fajardo threw two touchdown passes and ran for another major.

Afterwards, Fajardo discussed a frustrating fortnight that preceded the redemptive performance against Toronto.

“It's been a tough two weeks,” he said via Zoom after Saskatchewan improved its record to 4-2.

“I was down in the dumps pretty bad. Obviously, I wasn't going on social media. It's just a tough place to be when I try to be so positive.”

Global Regina's Ian Duffy later asked Fajardo about how he deals with self-doubt that can creep into the mindset.

“It's really hard,” Fajardo acknowledged. “Social media doesn't help when people are counting you out and saying some nasty things — not only some of our fans, but also Winnipeg fans. It just takes a toll on your body — mentally as well. I didn't even go on social media that much.

“And that's the sad truth about professional sports and I know everybody deals with it. A lot of times, I think us as players, people look at us more as like entertainment than as human beings, and so there's some things that you read on social media and it really hurts and it affects you mentally. For me, it was tough. Like I said, going on there and seeing people bash my name or say disgusting things really hurts me.

“To pull yourself out of it, you just have to have a game where you can go back and tell yourself you're confident. The best thing about my life currently and what is a huge blessing for me is my support system that I have in my loving wife and my amazing family that just continue to say great things. I know they always have watch parties for our games.

“Those are the things that pull you through these tough times when you are playing bad. And it's going to happen. I get it. But we've got feelings, too.

“I want to do this province proud in every way I can, and hopefully we can win more football games so I can make everybody happy.”

Listening to that on Friday, I marvelled at the sincerity of Fajardo's words and the vulnerability he exhibited. At the same time, the alarm bells were suddenly sounding like Big Ben.

There are, after all, far too many examples of elite Roughriders quarterbacks who have been under fire from the gallery. Ron Lancaster, Kent Austin, Kerry Joseph and Darian Durant — the four Grey Cup-winning quarterbacks in franchise history — all felt the wrath of the, er, fans on occasion.

The most deplorable example dates back to Oct. 22, 1978, when some sad individuals booed Lancaster during his final game as a player at Taylor Field. (One week later, the Little General signed off by guiding the Roughriders to a comeback victory in Edmonton. He received a standing ovation at Commonwealth Stadium from fans of a rival team after being booed at home.)

Austin put up eye-popping passing totals for the Roughriders in the early 1990s, but the incessant nattering contributed to his eventual request for a trade.

In 2006, Joseph decried the response from the boo-birds. The following year, he was named the CFL'S most outstanding player, and the Roughriders won the Grey Cup.

Even then, some observers picked apart Joseph's performance, noting that his passing was imprecise in the Grey Cup game. Overlooked was his gamehigh rushing total of 101 yards.

Durant also demonstrated his array of skills during a championship season, that being 2013. Only then were his detractors effectively silenced, even though he had previously quarterbacked Saskatchewan to Grey Cup appearances in 2009 and 2010.

In 2009, Durant helped the Roughriders capture the West Division's regular-season title for the first time since 1976.

The Roughriders did not win another pennant until 2019 — Fajardo's first season as a CFL starter. He followed up with a torrid start to the 2021 season, piloting the Roughriders to victory in each of their first three games. But as soon as there was a rough patch, BOOM!

The overzealous keyboardists should be reminded that quarterbacks such as Fajardo don't come along very often. And even when they do, rough patches are inevitable.

Lancaster is the CFL'S all-time leader in interceptions, with 396. The 30 picks Austin unfurled in 1992 endure as a Roughriders single-season record. Joseph was known to miss a wide-open receiver every now and then. Durant had some ups and downs, such as two seasons in which he threw 20-plus interceptions.

So, yes, Fajardo had a couple of substandard games. It happens.

But the people who had the worst days were the organisms who wrote “disgusting things” about an exemplary person.

To make matters worse, these words will probably be lost on the people who really should take them to heart. Such is the sad reality of a situation that, alas, is hardly without precedent.