Although Rolan Milligan Jr. typically provides blanket coverage of rival receivers, sometimes there can be far too much separation.

That was the case last year, when Milligan was enjoying a standout season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and his family was nearly 4,000 kilometres away in Florida.

Samantha Milligan’s proud husband did have an opportunity to rejoin his loved ones in Lake Wales (near Tampa) for the birth of Suni Rebecca, who arrived on Sept. 17, 2024. She has two brothers (Lyric and Loyal) and a sister (Peace).

Nearly a year later, not much has changed in one respect. Rolan remains an integral part of a strong Roughriders defence. But now he is enjoying close proximity to his family, which is with him in Regina during football season.

“Being able to go home to my family, it’s a blessing that a lot of people take for granted,” Milligan Jr. said.

“Walking in the house and seeing everybody just smiling and happy when I get home is priceless.”

Fittingly, the Roughriders are preparing for a game with a Family Day theme — Saturday’s matchup with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).

The Milligans were together in the Queen City for the early part of the 2023 CFL season. But those plans changed when Rolan suffered a season-ending toe injury in Week 4. With a long recuperation ahead, the family eventually returned to Florida.

“Last year, I wanted them to come up, but my wife was pregnant and she didn’t know what the process would be as far as having a baby in a different country,” Milligan Jr. said.

“She decided that it would be best for us to keep her down there with the kids and I’d come up here by myself. After that, it was a given that they’d be coming up.”

That was wonderful news for someone who knows that family time is not a given. CFL players routinely move far away from home to play the game they love. And there aren’t any guarantees in professional sports.

Milligan Jr. enjoys more stability than many players. In the off-season, he signed a contract extension that carries through 2026. A new deal was ideal for both parties after he was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

Now the “outstanding” label can also apply to life away from the stadium, thanks to the presence of Samantha, Lyric, Loyal, Peace and Suni.

“I think the biggest thing is just that time that we miss when they’re at home and I’m up here,” Milligan Jr. said. “You can’t get that time back.

“It’s not all day. I’ve got to come to work. But that time I do get with them every day, you can’t trade that for anything.”

Record-wise, every other CFL team would trade places with Saskatchewan, which carries a league-best 7-1 record into Saturday’s game.

“(The season to date) has been solid, but we’re not where we want to be at yet,” Milligan Jr. said.

“We’re not even halfway through the season. The goal isn’t 7-1. The goal is Grey Cup. We’ve still got work to do. We’ve got to keep stacking good days and keep building.”

The excitement is building for a showdown of the CFL’s division leaders. Hamilton sits atop the East with a 6-3 slate.

One of the three losses was to Saskatchewan, which won 28-23 at Hamilton Stadium on June 14. Milligan Jr. had a 64-yard interception-return touchdown during that game.

The pick-six was a rare blemish on the 2025 slate of Bo Levi Mitchell. The Tiger-Cats’ quarterback leads the league in aerial yards (2,856) and touchdown passes (21). Eight of those scoring tosses have been caught by Kenny Lawler.

“They’ve been putting up points,” Milligan Jr. said. “They’re a good group. They’ve got a good quarterback, a good receiving corps and a good running back. They’re explosive.

“We’re just trying to make sure that we’re crossing our T’s and dotting our I’s. We’re making sure we’re doing everything we can to prepare for them, because it’s a good team that we’re going to be playing this weekend.”

The Tiger-Cats can say the same thing about their opposition, thanks in large part to the presence of No. 0, Rolan Milligan Jr.

“From the same breath that you keep eyes on Kenny, I believe offences keep their eyes on ‘0’ too,” Head Coach Corey Mace said.

“It’s not like we just track the guy with the receiver all day. It’s going to take everybody to get that done. But having ‘0’ back there certainly helps.”