Around the CFL: Veteran linebacker George White resurfaces with B.C.

By Fred Williams Oct 14, 2006, 17:15 GMT

Vancouver, BC - George White is back in the CFL.

Three weeks after surprisingly being released by the Calgary Stampeders, White resurfaced this week with the B.C. Lions. Not only is White back playing football, but he joined a squad that has already clinched first place in the West Division standings and home-field advantage for the conference final.

The acquisition of White is certainly a big deal for the Lions. He led the CFL in tackles last season with 116 and was named a West Division All-Star for the third time. He was also an All-Star with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2000 and 2001.

However, White seriously injured his Achilles tendon playing in an offseason basketball game. He required surgery and missed training camp and both of Calgary's exhibition games while recovering.

White returned to the Stampeders and appeared in seven games, registering 32 tackles and a fumble recovery but he was released because Calgary officials felt he was no longer quick enough to fit into the club's 3-4 alignment.

White will have a chance to show up his former team when the Lions and Stampeders play in the second game of their home-and-home series Sunday in Calgary. White will dress for the game, replacing linebacker Jamall Johnson, who is out with a hamstring injury.

QUIET STAMPS: All has been quiet on the Stampeders front this week.

Last week, receivers Nik Lewis and Jeremaine Copeland dominated the spotlight, taking turns making fun of the hero pose Lions' receiver Geroy Simon takes whenever he scores a touchdown. But it was Simon who had the last laugh, registering eight catches for 120 yards in a touchdown in leading B.C. to a 39-18 win over the Stamps that clinched the Vancouver club first place in the West Division standings.

By comparison, Copeland had one catch for 35 yards while Lewis had two grabs for nine yards.

Predictably, there was precious little out of Lewis and Copeland this week as the Stampeders made their preparations to face the Lions on Sunday at McMahon Stadium.

GROUP DROPS OUT: One of the three groups looking to receive a CFL expansion team for Ottawa dropped out of the running this week after one of its main investors was diagnosed with cancer.

Golden Gate Capital, a company based in Toronto, was regarded as the frontrunner for the expansion team because its bid included Jeff Hunt, who owns the Ottawa 67's junior hockey team and has tremendous credibility with sports fans in the Canadian capital.

The withdrawal of the Golden Gate group leaves two still in the running, both of which are interested in returning a team to Ottawa by 2008. One is a group of American investors that includes former CFL player Bill Palmer, whose son, Jesse, is a former NFL quarterback now a backup with Montreal.

The other is led by Frank D'Angelo, a food and beverage entrepreneur.

FALSE ALARM: Charles Roberts has an interesting sense of humor.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were off last week, enjoying a bye. But word surfaced that Roberts had got on a Blue Bombers fan chat site and announced that he was retiring at the end of the season. The message even carried Roberts' user name.

The news shocked both Bombers fans and the club's management. Roberts, 27, is the second-leading rusher in club history with 7,787 yards, behind only Leo Lewis, who has 8,861 yards. Roberts is second in CFL rushing this season, entering action this weekend with 1,305 yards.

It seems Roberts did post the message, but did so as a prank and is now saying he has no immediate plans to retire.

NEW ALS COACH: It seems Jim Popp might not have to look far for a full-time replacement for departed head coach Don Matthews.

Popp assumed the head coaching duties after Matthews resigned two weeks ago. Word out of Montreal now is that Popp is toying with the idea of staying on the sidelines next season as the team's GM and head coach.

If Popp stays on as coach, he'd join B.C.'s Wally Buono as the only people in the CFL to hold the dual titles of GM and head coach.

MILESTONE FOR O'SHEA: Toronto Argonauts linebacker Mike O'Shea is closing in on quite a milestone.

O'Shea, in his 14th CFL season, entered weekend action needing just seven tackles to reach 1,000 for his career. Only two other players in league history have accumulated 1,000 or more tackles. Willie Pless, a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, registered a CFL-record 1,241 tackles during his career while former Calgary standout Alondra Johnson is second with 1,084.

© 2006 The Sports Network