Calgary Stampeders veteran Aaron Crawford out after undergoing knee surgery

It appears long snapper Aaron Crawford’s season is over for the Calgary Stampeders.

The 38-year-old native of Medicine Hat, Alta. missed nine games due to a knee injury before making his return against the Edmonton Elks in Week 14. He underwent surgery to his knee on Monday.

“(Crawford) gave it a great go. He really wanted to give it a shot, we honoured that because we really think he’s a hard worker but his knee was already messed up,” head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson told the media in Calgary. “He cowboy’d through it and did a good job but it was just time.”

Originally a sixth-round pick in the 2012 CFL Draft out of Saint Mary’s University, Crawford has played 166 career regular-season games, including 68 as a member of the Stampeders, and recorded two defensive tackles and 39 special teams tackles. He is still searching for his first Grey Cup.

Jason MacGougan, who long snapped in place of Crawford during his initial injury, was placed on the practice roster when the veteran made his return. With Crawford likely out of the season, it appears MacGougan will handle long snapping duties from here on out.

The Calgary Stampeders (8-4) will host the B.C. Lions (6-7) at McMahon Stadium on Friday, September 19 with kickoff slated for 9:30 p.m. EDT. The Lions beat Ottawa by a score of 38-27 in Vancouver this past week, while the Stampeders were on a bye week.

The weather forecast in Calgary calls for a high of 24 degrees with sunny conditions. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 730 CKNW in Vancouver and 770 CHQR in Calgary.