BC Lions quarterback Travis Lulay (14) gets tackled and has to leave the game during first half CFL action in Vancouver, B.C., Friday, September 8, 2017. (CFL PHOTO - Jimmy Jeong)
The fears of both Travis Lulay and the BC Lions were confirmed when a MRI revealed the quarterback suffered significant ligament damage in his knee early in Friday’s 41-18 victory over the Montreal Alouettes.
As a result, Lulay has been placed on the club’s six-game injured list and will not return to action in 2017.
Standing on crutches in the locker room after the game, Lulay explained what happened on the game’s second play from scrimmage. He also pretty much knew his fate right away.
“Significant damage. We’ll have to do an MRI to confirm what happened exactly,” explained Lulay after the victory.
“I was just scrambling, was short of the first down. I cut inside of the linebacker and felt my knee shift. It really happened before the contact. I got up and it hurt,” explained the 2011 the CFL Most Outstanding Player.
At that point, he also told reporters he knew he had significant damage and Monday’s MRI officially revealed those result.
An emotional Wally Buono explained in his post-game media conference that injured or not, Lulay will still be a big part of this team’s push for a seventh Grey Cup.
“If he can’t play for us, he can help us win still,” explained the CFL all-time wins leader.
“I want him to understand that we want him to be a part of our team. He is a coach. He might be the life coach for Jonathon. If he can be the life coach for Jonathon, he can contribute because that is going to help us win, right?”
Jonathon Jennings will start at quarterback when the Lions visit 9-1-1 Calgary on Saturday (4:00PM, TSN 1040, TSN 1, ESPN 3)
The club also announced the addition of QB’s Mitchell Gale and Quinn Epperly, as well as OL Mitchell Van Dyk to the practice squad on Tuesday morning.
The two new pivots will help provide depth behind Jennings and Alex Ross. Gale, 27, dressed for 15 games in Saskatchewan last season, starting three of them. He spent 2017 training camp with the Stampeders before being cut loose.
Epperly enjoyed a productive four years with the Princeton Tigers, passing for 3,857 yards and 35 touchdowns. He attended Dallas Cowboys rookie mini-camp at the start of this year.
Van Dyk could be an interesting piece to the puzzle on what has been an inconsistent and injured offensive line. He most recently spent time on the Stampeders practice roster and also has NFL training camp experience with the Indianapolis Colts and San Francisco 49ers.
Lulay will speak to reporters following today’s practice at the Surrey facility.