Ottawa Redblacks sign CFL veteran Dionté Ruffin

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The Ottawa Redblacks have signed American defensive back Dionté Ruffin, per sources.

The 27-year-old played eight regular-season games with the Montreal Alouettes last season, making five starts and recording 11 defensive tackles.

The five-foot-ten, 177-pound defender first joined the Alouettes in 2023 and made 29 starts over the next two seasons, recording 79 defensive tackles, one special teams tackle, five interceptions, one forced fumble, and one touchdown.

The Kenner, La. native played for the Calgary Stampeders in 2022. He dressed for nine regular-season games and made 39 defensive tackles and one special teams tackle.

Ruffin was released by the Alouettes in January and signed with the B.C. Lions, though he was released near the conclusion of training camp.

The Ottawa Redblacks (0-5) will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (3-2) on Sunday, July 19 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Blue Bombers are coming off a 30-21 win over the Toronto Argonauts, while the Redblacks lost 40-17 against the Edmonton Elks.

The weather forecast in Ottawa calls for a high of 27 degrees and a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg or TSN 1200 in Ottawa.

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