Rider nation received a special Christmas with the news that former receiver Naaman Roosevelt would be returning to the team as an offensive assistant.
The President is back in Rider Nation! Naman Roosevelt has joined the @sskroughriders coaching staff as an offensive assistant!
— Michael Ball (@therealballsy) December 25, 2022
Michael Ball had the chance to catch up with the newest member of the coaching staff during Tuesday’s edition of the SportsCage.
Last season, Roosevelt served as a guest coach with the Riders during last season’s training camp and is looking forward to building off that experience.
“I’m just excited to learn, keep going and keep improving, I felt like I did a good job at training camp.”
The 35-year-old’s new job title is offensive assistant, meaning he will get a chance to work with all the positions on the team’s offence. Roosevelt spent five seasons as a receiver with Saskatchewan but says he is excited about learning more about the quarterback position and offensive play calling.
During his final seasons with the Roughriders, the Buffalo native realized that coaching was a venture that he could pursue following his playing days.
“I was stepping into that role of, you know I was that older guy on the team, the older receiver on the team, you know I had to teach Shaq (Evans) and “Swerve” (Kyran Moore) and you know J-Will(Jordan Lambert-Williams).”
He noted that it was a real learning experience guiding the younger Rider receivers at the end of his career.
Riders head coach Craig Dickenson says Roosevelt’s enthusiasm and knowledge of the game caught his attention last season.
“His willingness to jump in and then dive into the work and really his ability to relate to the players and explain some of the things that he’s learned over the course of a successful career to them.”
2022 was a season that the Roughriders would like to forget following the team missing the playoffs, but the new offensive assistant thinks the team is capable of bouncing back in 2023.
“Last year was just something that you know just one of those years where you know injuries happen, people get hurt, a lot of things could go wrong, but I think you know, the team’s still there at that level where they could win a Grey Cup for sure.”
One of the appealing aspects of Roosevelt’s new job is the Roughrider fan base. The former receiver is happy to work in a familiar setting and added the people of Saskatchewan always treated him well.
After a playing career where he was referred to as the “President”, Roosevelt will now be called “Coach” when the Riders begin training camp in May.
