NFL

Former first-round draft pick Alex Fontana will not play for Redblacks in 2021

by
3Down Staff
July 5, 2021

Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

The Ottawa Redblacks are going to be without a key Canadian offensive lineman for the 2021 season.

Alex Fontana will not play this season for personal reasons, as per radio play-by-play man AJ Jakubec. It’s big loss for a team that lost starting centre Alex Mateas to retirement on Saturday.

The Kansas product was selected No. 7 overall in the 2019 CFL Draft and dressed for all 18 regular season games as a backup in Ottawa.

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The six-foot-one, 298-pound blocker performed well at his pro day, pumping out 29 reps on the bench press, leaping eight-feet, 10 inches in the broad jump, and running a 5.20 forty-yard dash.

The Toronto native started nine games at centre for Kansas in 2018. He sat out the 2017 season at the University of Houston due to a foot injury but started games the previous year at guard.

Prior to transferring to Houston, Fontana started at centre for two seasons at the New Mexico Military Institute.