WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers released veteran middle linebacker Barrin Simpson on Tuesday.
Simpson spent four seasons in Winnipeg, appearing in 52 regular-season games, three playoff contests and a Grey Cup with the CFL club. The move marks an end to Simpson's tumultous time in Winnipeg. Earlier this season, he asked to be traded after being told by the club that his playing time would be reduced.
The Bombers then put Simpson on the nine-game injured list Sept. 13 citing a turf toe ailment that Simpson had been playing with all season. The move was thought to have essentially ended Simpson's season but the nine-year veteran never agreed to it, prompting the CFL to get involved.
The league ruled Simpson be moved to the one-game injured list and stated it would re-examine its bylaws regarding how teams put players on the nine-game list.
The Simpson saga created confusion as conventional belief throughout CFL front offices was teams had to first inform a player he was going on the nine-game injured list, then have him sign a form to make it official. But the Bombers believed they only had to inform Simpson of the move, and then filed the necessary paperwork with the league with neither Simpson's approval nor his signature.
After being told by the Bombers not to report to the club's offices because he was a distraction, Simpson suited up late in the season and the club did leave the door open to a possible return.
"Barrin has always been a solid player in this league and we thank him for his hard work and dedicated commitment to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers," Ross Hodgkinson, the Bombers interim vice-president of football operations, said in a statement. "We certainly would consider the possibility of Barrin returning with the understanding of it being a fit for both parties."