Courtesy Winnipeg Free Press:

Milt Stegall will take a knee on practising over the next month and Juran Bolden has opted to pass on a massive pay cut.

As a result, two familiar faces will not be on the field when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers begin main training camp this Sunday.

Stegall, the club announced Tuesday rather than have it serve as a distraction on the weekend, underwent knee surgery on May 2 to do some maintenance on the joint and clean up some cartilage. Stegall did confirm there was no tear to any ligaments in his knee.

He has already begun rehabbing, but it’s uncertain when he’ll return or if he’ll be ready for the season opener on June 27 vs. the Toronto Argonauts.

“It basically says that Milt Stegall has been playing football for a long time and it caught up with him a little bit,” said Stegall from Atlanta on a media conference call. “They had to go in there and do a couple of things and clean up some stuff.

“I expect to be ready when I’m ready. I’ve been rehabbing it and will continue rehabbing it and when it feels like it’s ready to go that’s when I’m going to step back on the field. We’re not going to rush anything.”

Stegall said his knee began bothering him near the end of March and after resting it, opted to have the surgery done after the advice from doctors. Asked specifically what he can do as part of the recovery, Stegall said he is not yet running. But…

“I can walk,” he said. “I can put on my own clothes. I can tie my shoes. I can wipe my own butt. I can brush my hair and brush my teeth. I’m not running yet, but I’m riding the bike and doing some rehabbing in the swimming pool and a little bit on an eliptical machine.”

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