Alleged groin punches by a B.C. Lions player during a Canadian Football League (CFL) game reportedly caused a “life-altering” injury to Montreal Alouettes running back Liam Talbot.
According to a report by 3 Down Nation, due to alleged below-the-belt blows from B.C. Lions defensive back Josh Hagerty, Talbot’s 2026 CFL season came to an end on Saturday.
Talbot was struck in the groin area on two different special teams plays during the team’s loss in Vancouver, according to people with firsthand knowledge of the incident.
Officials did not penalize Josh Hagerty for the alleged punches. Talbot finished the game, but the injury later became severe enough to require medical attention.
The 23-year-old will miss the rest of the season because the injury was serious enough to require emergency surgery a couple of days later.
“This is not football. There need to be consequences for this kind of unacceptable play that puts players’ safety at risk,” Montreal Alouettes fullback Marco Dubois wrote on X.
“Punch in the nuts, I’ve never seen anything like that from an adult in a professional football game,” Alouettes offensive lineman Cyrille Hogan-Saindon responded in the comments of the post.
The Montreal Alouettes organization has not disclosed the type of surgery Talbot underwent nor publicly addressed the alleged groin-punching incidents. Talbot was officially listed on the team’s injury report as having a groin injury, and he did not attend practice on Wednesday. He was subsequently ruled out for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats game on Friday.
3 Down Nation reports that Lions defensive back Josh Hagerty is one of three players who will reportedly attend CFL disciplinary hearings this week after incidents in the Montreal-B.C. game.