Saskatchewan Roughriders release controversial defensive lineman Marino

REGINA – The Saskatchewan Roughriders released controversial defensive lineman Garrett Marino on Tuesday.

The move came after Marino levelled Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros in the Blue Bombers’ 20-18 victory Sunday over Saskatchewan. Collaros wasn’t injured and no penalty was called.

The CFL fined Marino after the Riders’ 23-16 win over B.C. on Aug. 26 for unnecessary roughness on Lions offensive lineman Peter Godber.

Earlier this season, the six-foot-two, 290-pound Marino received three separate suspensions from the CFL totalling a record four games for an incident in the Riders’ 28-13 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks on July 8.

Marino received a two-game suspension for delivering a low hit Ottawa on quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. He earned a one-game ban for verbal comments made about Masoli’s heritage during the game, which violates the CFL’s Code of Conduct.

The other one-game suspension was for an illegal and reckless tackle of an Ottawa offensive lineman on a previous play.

Marino, a 28-year-old American, had nine tackles and a sack in eight games this year. Over two seasons with Saskatchewan, Marino appeared in 15 regular-season games, recording 22 tackles and five sacks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2022.