Football

Defensive end Dexter Manley, banned for life from the NFL for using illegal drugs, has signed with the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League for $75,000 a season.

That’s $625,000 less than he earned with Tampa Bay last season, after two Super Bowl victories with the Washington Redskins and a brief tour with Phoenix. But Manley, 33, had little choice.

“I’ve lost my rights in the NFL,” he said. “This is the next best thing.”

Manley’s last failed drug test was in December, although Tampa Bay was testing him three times weekly.

Manley’s career began to slide in 1989 after his third positive test for cocaine use. Washington didn’t renew his contract after the one-year suspension and Manley signed with Phoenix, where he lasted four games. Tampa Bay picked him up last season.

Ottawa’s training camp opens today in Kemptville, Ontario.