Injury bug hits Lions on opening day of camp

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KAMLOOPS (NEWS1130) – Training camp has already been costly for the defending Grey Cup champions.

BC Lions offensive linemen Dean Valli and Jesse Newman both suffered knee injuries on opening day in Kamloops.  

Newman’s left knee locked up in a conditioning drill, while Valli injured a knee shortly after Newman was taken off the field.

The field was reportedly slippery at the time.

GM Wally Buono tells News1130 Sports that he is working the phones in an attempt to acquire a couple of non-import offensive linemen.  The Lions have announced the signing of former Edmonton Eskimos offensive lineman Patrick Kabongo. Kabongo, is off of an eight-year stint with the Eskimos where he was a member of the 2005 Grey Cup team.

The timing is not good for BC. Offensive lineman Kirby Fabien, who was drafted seventh-overall at this year’s Canadian College Player Draft, chose to return to the University of Calgary.

It’s especially frustrating for Valli, who suffered a broken leg in a game against Montreal in September of 2010 and would be out for a lengthy amount of time.

Newman, from Powell River, was originally acquired in a trade from Calgary where he was part of their 2008 Grey Cup team.

News1130 Sports’ Ann Schmaltz is at Kamloops’ Thompson Rivers University and will be providing updates throughout training camp.

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