It appears that the illegal hit on injured Redblacks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli may not have been the most heinous act committed by Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive tackle Garrett Marino on Friday. Ottawa wide receiver Nate Behar grilled Marino with his postgame comments on the team’s radio station, but in a separate interview with TSN television cameras, the Canadian pass catcher went into more detail about his behavior his opponent. This included accusing Marino of making racist comments on the pitch. “Whoever cheers for this dude, supports him, cheers when he runs off the field flexing and all that, I hope you find a way to sleep tonight. The same dude who shouts racist at the bottom of a pile. The same guy that went down on one of the best quarterbacks in this league, one of the best guys in this league,” Behar said. “I literally cannot believe what I saw. This was the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in my entire life. You have people screaming and cheering for it. I know this place has to be better. This is supposed to be the heart of Canada. They’re all supposed to be hunters and all smiles and all that. That was ridiculous.” Marino’s hit on Masoli came with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter, when he was dislodged by right tackle Dino Boyd and fell to the quarterback’s knees. The contact was both low and slow, sending the defender flying and his victim lying in pain on the field. Masoli later had to be carried by his teammates, while Marino was seen cheering on the Mosaic Stadium crowd as he was escorted to the dressing room. The Riders would win 28-13. It wasn’t Marino’s first altercation with the Reds, as Marino reportedly ran into the team during dinner at The Keg in Regina the night before and engaged in a public trash talk. Behar went on to say that Marino’s earlier language and actions made it clear that a dangerous game was coming. This leaves the blame for Masoli’s serious injury on the shoulders of the referees. “We all know, from when we were in college, from when we were in high school, when the referees let it go for God knows how long, we know what happens. It’s the most obvious thing in the world. You have people bumping fists, heads for quarters and quarters at a time. You know what the hell is going to happen,” Behar said. “I know I’m going to get fined and I literally don’t care. This guy has two kids. He has two beautiful children to support and you go through his shins and then stand up bending over and calling him things no one should call anyone. Come on, that’s beyond any code on earth.” Marino will almost certainly face additional CFL discipline for his hit, and the punishment for allegations of racism should be even harsher in a league that has used “Diversity is Strength” as a catchphrase. Regardless of the CFL’s response, Behar believes all of Rider Nation — fans, players and coaches — need to reevaluate their values if they continue to stand behind Marino. “They support him. They know who he is. They know. Because when he left the field there, some of them were like, ‘yeah, we know who he is,’” Behar said. “We know, we know, we know and yet everyone is still cheering.”
