McLeod Bethel-Thompson to start for Edmonton Elks vs. Hamilton as Tre Ford ruled out

Photo courtesy: Bailey McLean/CFL

After being replaced by Canadian quarterback Tre Ford in Week 8, McLeod Bethel-Thompson is once again the starting quarterback of the Edmonton Elks.

The 36-year-old was relegated to the bench following an 0-7 start to the season and remained there until Ford suffered an injury to his ribs during last week’s win over the B.C. Lions. Ford was placed on the one-game injured list on Friday and will not play when the Elks visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday.

Bethel-Thompson has completed 69.5 percent of his passing this season for 1,959 yards, 10 touchdowns, and eight interceptions but has yet to win a start this year. With Ford unavailable, second-year passer Jarret Doege has been elevated off the practice squad to take on the third-string duties behind backup Dakota Prukop.

Running back Kevin Brown was a full participant in practice all week but will not play with the tandem of Javon Leake and Justin Rankin remaining intact. Leake and Rankin have been exceptional over the past two games, rushing for a combined 403 yards and four touchdowns in wins over Saskatchewan and B.C.

American defensive lineman Romeo McKnight (ankle) will miss a second straight game while Canadian defender Woodly Appolon is out of the lineup in favour of D.K. Bonhomme, who was a second-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft.

The Edmonton Elks (2-7) will visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-7) on Saturday, Aug. 17 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT.