The Toronto Argonauts traded cornerback Byron Parker to the Edmonton Eskimos for future considerations on Monday.
''We wish Byron good luck and we want to thank him for his years of service as an Argonaut," said Argonauts' general manager Adam Rita. "Like all of the teams, we are responsible for operating under a salary management system and we have many good young players competing for roster spots in our secondary.”
Parker returned to the Argonauts last month after being released by the Philadelphia Eagles and appeared in two games this season as a punt returner and back-up corner. But the two-time All-Star had become frustrated by the coaching staff's reluctance to put him back in the starting lineup.
"I don't want to be one of the me, me, me guys. I'm all about the team. I just don't think the explanation they have been giving is accurate," said Parker before this weekend's loss in Winnipeg.
Parker has returned six interceptions for touchdowns over his CFL career and the Argonauts currently rank last in the league with nine.
But Argonauts head coach Bart Andrus felt Parker needed more time to learn the defensive system.
"He is still learning all the details of the defence," Andrus told the Toronto Sun. "It's just a matter of time before he becomes a staple."
But Parker disagreed with Andrus' assessment, saying the system has been easy to learn.
"The defence that I grew up on, of how to play the CFL game, was complicated," Parker said. "You had to read, play with your eyes, under Rich Stubler. Here, most of the time I am high, or I got the dude in front of me. That is not hard to learn."