A former high-profile player for the B.C. Lions is alleging Surrey RCMP officers racially profiled him in a roadside stop over the weekend.
Ryan Phillips, 39, played 12 seasons with the Canadian Football Association club before retiring in 2016. In 2019, he rejoined the team as a defensive coordinator.
In a series of tweets, Phillips said Surrey RCMP pulled him over for “zero reason and when asked got zero explanation.”
Phillips, a Black man originally from Seattle, Wash., tweeted four officers were involved in the “beyond unlawful & ridiculous” incident in which he ended up handcuffed.
“If the @SurreyRCMP thinks this is over and my voice won’t be heard they have another thing coming,” he wrote.
“I have seen them do it to players and now to myself. It’s a complete jerk and abuse of power. PERIOD.”
Phillips was not immediately available for comment.
In a written statement, Surrey RCMP Assistant Commander Brian Edwards said his detachment is aware of the Sept. 11 incident.
“These are serious allegations,” said the detachment's Officer in Charge.
Edwards said the traffic stop was initiated after an officer observed “erratic driving behaviour over several blocks.”
He said documentation served to Phillips during the roadside stop outlines why he was pulled over.
Citing the Privacy Act, Edwards said he couldn’t provide many details of the interaction but that he is “satisfied the officers acted very reasonably and met RCMP service standards in this interaction.”
Glacier Media also reached out to the B.C. Lions for comment, but a spokesperson deferred to police.