Released by B.C., is this the end for Ricky Foley?

The B.C. Lions released Canadian defensive end Ricky Foley on Monday and given that he’ll turn 36 in June, it’s reasonable to wonder if this marks the end of his stellar CFL career.

Foley has played 12 seasons since his selection in the first-round by the Lions in the 2006 CFL Draft (also in that group Andy Fantuz at No. 3, Daniel Federkeil at No. 5, Peter Dyakowski at No. 11, Jon Cornish at No. 13. Adam Braidwood went No. 1.) But Foley appeared in just 11 games after signing with the Lions last August – no starts – registering one defensive tackle, four special teams tackles and a single sack.)

Foley, originally from Courtice, Ont., has also played for Toronto and Saskatchewan. He has registered 347 tackles and 61 sacks in 193 career regular-season games. Foley earned Grey Cup rings with B.C. (2006), Toronto (2012) and Saskatchewan (2013) and was the CFL’s top Canadian in 2009 and the outstanding Canadian in the ’12 Grey Cup game.

Often outspoken on social media, Foley has been a colourful and interesting character for much of his time in the CFL.