Russ Signs CFL Free Agent Contract

SEARCY – Former Harding University football player Eddie Russ, Jr., recently signed a professional free agent contract with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League, according to the team's website.

Russ, a 6-0, 185-pound cornerback, played the last two seasons at Harding after transferring from Antelope Valley College in California. Russ recorded 70 tackles and six interceptions in his two-year career as a Bison.

Canadian Football League teams are allowed to carry 68 players into training camp, but must cut down to 46 active players for its first game. A team cannot have more than 22 non-Canadian players on its active roster.

The Roughriders begin their training camp in early June and play their first preseason game on June 17 against the Edmonton Eskimos. The first regular season game is July 1, also against the Eskimos.

The Canadian Football League plays a 19-week regular season that culminates with the Grey Cup, the Canadian version of the Super Bowl, on Nov. 27 in Vancouver.

by Scott Goode