Riders’ Benny Sapp III following family’s football footsteps

If you’ve been a football fan for a while, the name Benny Sapp has probably popped up a few times — and not just the player currently for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Current Riders defensive back Benny Sapp III is the son of Benny Sapp II, who played eight years in the NFL as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs (2004-07), Minnesota Vikings (2008-09, 2011), and Miami Dolphins (2010-11).

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They are just two of the five Benny Sapps who share the same namesake in the family.

“The first one is my grand-dad, the second one is my dad — the junior — and then I’m the third. My little brother Benny Sapp IIII is 12 and then I have a baby brother Benny Sapp V and he is four,” Sapp, 25, said. “So, Benny Sapps are going to be playing football for a long time.”

So when one of them would get in trouble at home, how would they know who was who?

“My dad obviously gets the Benny — the head honcho, he is the dad — and they call me BJ for Benny Junior — I’m the third but it’s fine — and my brother Benny Sapp IIII is Ben-Ben and the fifth, we call him fat-fat because he was the biggest baby,” Sapp said.

With his dad playing in the NFL, Sapp got to know plenty of players as a kid, including defensive back Asante Samuel, who he refers to as his Uncle, as well as growing up with Denver Broncos defensive back Pat Surtain.

Sapp had his own time in the NFL, playing with the Green Bay Packers in 2023 and spending time with the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad.

Sapp joined the Riders on Aug. 18 and has had to step into a prominent role quickly as injuries have piled up in the team’s defensive backfield.

“I love (the CFL game). It really shows a different variation of myself. Just playing safety in America and then coming here and playing corner and using my safety tools to be a confident corner and be confident in my teammates and trust my peers around me to excel,” Sapp said. “I love it.”

Sapp will start his fifth game of the season this week as the Riders take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday. Kickoff for the game is set for 6 p.m. The Green Zone pregame show will begin at 4 p.m.

“Just getting to start is really unbelievable. I was at the grocery store when I got the call that they were ready to pull me up and I was so happy,” Sapp said. “I didn’t expect it to move this fast but I am very thankful and grateful to get the opportunity like this because I know people in America and North America, a lot of people would love to be in my position and I am not taking it for granted at all.

“I really appreciate it a lot.”

While Sapp will start another game for the Riders, a number of changes have been made to the depth chart.

Quarterback Trevor Harris is on the roster but is listed as the third-string quarterback behind Jake Maier and Jack Coan. Defensive back Tevaughn Campbell (head) is back on the roster for the first time since Sept. 6 — a win over the Bombers.

Shawn Bane Jr. will make his first start as a member of the offence after getting onto the depth chart a couple of times as a returner. The former 1,000-yard receiver suffered a serious leg injury late last season.

With Saskatchewan already having clinched first place in the CFL West Division, the Riders will rest a number of starters including running back AJ Ouellette, defensive tackle Micah Johnson, and defensive back Marcus Sayles while injured players like Rolan Milligan Jr. (knee/foot), KeeSean Johnson (knee), Nelson Lokombo (ankle), Dohnte Meyers (ankle), and Tommy Stevens (knee) won’t need to rush back until the West Final on Nov. 8.