American scout Rigmaiden returns to BC Lions after being in the mix for two GM jobs

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Ryan Rigmaiden returns to the BC Lions player personnel department, but it appears the club is losing Geroy Simon from that group.

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The Leos announced last week that Rigmaiden would get a promotion from US director of exploration to assistant general manager and director of player personnel. He had been linked earlier this offseason to open GM jobs with the Ottawa Redblacks and the Edmonton moose .

Meanwhile, Farhan Lalji from TSN and Rod Pedersen from Game Plus TV report that Simon is joining the Elks as an assistant general manager. to incoming GM / head coach Chris Jones. The Elks have yet to announce Simon’s move, but they could easily be waiting for the holidays and the youth hockey world championships, which will be hosted by Edmonton and Red Deer, Alta.

Neil McEvoy, who shares general manager duties with the Lions with head coach Rick Campbell, declined to comment on Simon’s condition Monday. Simon, a former star wide receiver for BC, is still listed on the Lions’ website as director of global exploration and US regional scout.

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McEvoy said he was pleased that Lions staff members received interest from other CFL clubs.

“We seek to increase people’s experience,” he continued. “You don’t want it to be to the detriment of the club, so when you have guys like Ryan coming up the ladder, you also have to look to bring in the youngsters and prepare them for when a guy like Ryan leaves. “

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Rigmaiden, who lives in Jackson Springs, North Carolina, initially joined the Lions in January 2013, after a six-year stint as director of player personnel and then as general manager of the Spokane Shock, an Arena team. Football League. He was a regional scout and later American scouting director for the Lions before jumping into the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in December 2017 , where he was director of university exploration. The return to the Lions in November 2020.

Lalji reported in December 2019 that Rigmaiden turned down the Montreal Alouettes’ GM concert to stay with the Bombers.

Among the players Rigmaiden played a key role in acquiring the Lions is catcher Lucky Whitehead, according to McEvoy.

Rigmaiden topped Whitehead on BC’s negotiating list before Rigmaiden moved to the Bombers. After Rigmaiden left, Whitehead was removed from the BC list and subsequently added to the Winnipeg list. After a three-year stint in the NFL, Whitehead signed with Winnipeg prior to the 2019 campaign and helped them win the Gray Cup that season.

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Whitehead signed with the Lions as a free agent last February and had an outstanding season, with 60 receptions for 932 yards and four touchdowns.

“As an organization, we felt it was important to bring back the man responsible for bringing us so much American talent,” McEvoy said of Rigmaiden. “I find that we have a good group (staff of players). We work well together. We just hope things keep moving forward. “

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Simon played 12 of his 15 CFL seasons with the Lions (2001-12) and is the club’s all-time leader in receptions (904), receiving yards (14,756) and TDs (94). He retired after playing the 2013 season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and spent a season working at the Saskatchewan front office before joining Lions headquarters in 2015.

The next milestone date for the Lions and their CFL brothers is February 8, which is the opening of free agency. The Lions’ key free agents pending include Whitehead, fellow wide receiver Bryan Burnham and defensive back TJ Lee.

The Lions are scheduled to open the 2022 season on June 11 and host the Elks at BC Place Stadium.

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twitter: @SteveEwen