CFL NOTEBOOK

Hamilton wide receiver Mike Jones says he doesn’t know how a banned substance showed up in a doping test, costing him two games with the Tiger-Cats.

The CFL announced Tuesday that Jones has been suspended for two games after testing positive for dehydrochlormethyltestosterone, a performance-enhancing anabolic steroid outlawed by the joint drug policy of the league and the Canadian Football League Players’ Association.

“I had never heard of this substance, and I have never intentionally consumed it,” Jones said in a statement. “In fact, I had each of my supplements checked on two occasions, and each time they were deemed safe. I cannot say exactly how dehydrochlormethyltestosterone was found in my urine, but I am both responsible and accountable for what’s found in my body.”

Jones, a first-time offender, said he was informed of the positive test by the CFL Players’ Association following the Ticats’ game versus Saskatchewan on Sept. 15. He’ll be suspended for game action effective immediately, but it’s up to the Ticats to determine whether he can participate in other team activities, such as practices and meetings.

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Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive end Jamaal Westerman has been sidelined for the remainder of the 2017 CFL season with an undisclosed upper-body injury.

The Blue Bombers confirmed the injury Tuesday on their Twitter feed. Westerman was hurt in Winnipeg’s 48-28 Week 12 win over rival Saskatchewan.

Westerman is second in the CFL with seven sacks through 11 games. He has 32 sacks in 47 games since joining Winnipeg for the 2015 CFL campaign following six seasons in the NFL.

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SURREY, B.C. – Alex Bazzie wanted to make sure he had shaken his NFL hangover.

The defensive lineman signed a contract with the B.C. Lions through the rest of the season earlier this week, rejoining the CFL club where played from 2014 to 2016 before bouncing between three teams south of the border over a nine-month span.

Some players who leave Canada in hopes of catching on in the NFL have a tough time readjusting when they return – be it spite, disinterest, having a chip on their shoulder or something else – but Bazzie believes his mind is in the right place after getting cut by the Arizona Cardinals earlier this month.

“I’m most definitely past that point,” the 27-year-old said following his first practice with the Lions in 2017. “That’s what might have took so long as far as coming back.

“It was just making sure I got over that, leaving it back in the States and not coming over here holding onto grudges.”

Bazzie registered 29 sacks in 50 games for the Lions, including 11 last season, to earn a contract with the Indianapolis Colts in January.

After getting cut in May, he latched on with the Carolina Panthers and then the Cardinals, who released him at the end of training camp 2 1/2 weeks ago.

“(The) B.C. Lions organization had nothing to do with what went on with me down south,” said Bazzie, a CFL West Division all-star last season. “I wanted to come over here with a clear mind and be ready work. That was the biggest thing.

“So yes, I’m completely over that.”

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Toronto running back James Wilder Jr., Calgary linebacker Alex Singleton and Ottawa receiver Diontae Spencer are the CFL’s top performers for Week 13.

Wilder scored his first CFL touchdown and recorded new career bests with 190 yards rushing and 67 yards receiving in the Argonauts’ 34-26 home win over Edmonton on Saturday.

His rushing yards were the fourth-highest single-game total in Argonauts franchise history.

Singleton recorded a game-high eleven tackles Saturday in the Stampeders’ 16th consecutive victory at McMahon Stadium, a 27-13 win over the B.C. Lions.

Singleton has recorded 91 tackles in his sophomore season, which ties him for the season lead with B.C.’s Solomon Elimimian.

This is the second time Singleton has been named a Shaw CFL Top Performer with his first recognition coming in Week 11.

(The Canadian Press)