Esks can't say no

By Jonathan Huntington

In the aftermath of Mike Maurer lying unconscious in the ring on Saturday night, the Edmonton Eskimos aren't in a position to stop their players from future mixed-martial arts fights.

In fact, Adam Braidwood - the Eskimos' promising defensive end - could climb back into the ring as early as next month.

"You can't tell him that 'You can't fight,' " said Eskimo head coach Danny Maciocia. "It's like someone telling me, 'You need to wear a seatbelt.' If you choose not to wear one, then potentially there could be consequences along the way."

Specifically in the Eskimos case, a CFL player's contract is not guaranteed.

"They choose to (fight) and something happens - well, then their contracts are going to be null and void," continued Maciocia.

The debate over whether Eskimos should be scrapping in the ultimate fighting world in the off-season returned to the front burner after Halifax's Roger Hollett clocked Maurer with a vicious left kick and left punch combination to the head on Saturday night in MFC 11 at the Shaw Conference Centre.

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