Twenty-four years old. Sixth-round draft pick. Team captain. And now a name on a highway fatality report.
Jayden Dalke, a linebacker for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, was killed Saturday night in a head-on collision on a highway near Regina. The crash also took the life of 22-year-old Bhishma Rajyaguru of Regina, the driver of the other vehicle.
The CFL confirmed Dalke’s death in a statement Monday. “It is with tremendous sadness that we share the tragic news of Jayden’s passing,” the league said. “He was a passionate competitor who played with incredible heart. Off the field, he will be remembered for his leadership in the locker room and his dedication to the community. The CFL has lost a teammate, a Canadian brother and a friend.”
The details that came out of that Monday news conference are the kind that sit in your gut like a bad hit you never saw coming.
RCMP spokeswoman Mandy Maier told reporters that Dalke was driving the wrong way on the highway at the time of the collision. Alcohol and cannabis were found in his vehicle. Maier said no further details were available about what specifically was recovered, according to Yahoo Sports, citing the CBC.
Thirty minutes before the crash, at 8:27 p.m. CST, Mounties received a report about a silver SUV leaving a gas station without paying for fuel. Maier confirmed it was the same SUV involved in the fatal collision.
The Roughriders drafted Dalke in the sixth round of the 2022 CFL Draft out of the University of Saskatchewan. He earned a captain’s designation with the club — a title you don’t get handed for showing up on time. You get it because the men next to you decided you’re the one they want leading them into the trenches.
Two young men dead on a Saskatchewan highway on a Saturday night. One of them a professional football player with a locker that still has his name on it. The other a 22-year-old from Regina who was just on the road, going wherever he was going, when a silver SUV came at him from the wrong direction.
The CFL’s statement extended condolences to Dalke’s family, friends, the Roughriders organization, and “all those whose lives were bettered through knowing him.” The Roughriders have not yet announced plans for honoring Dalke’s memory.
The RCMP investigation remains ongoing.
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