Randy’s Road Trip makes a pit stop at IG Field

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This article was published 25/02/2020 (1519 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie made a visit to Winnipeg on Wednesday, where he was greeted by dozens of Winnipeg Blue Bombers season-ticket holders at IG Field eager to hear his latest update on the league.

It was the fifth stop on the third annual Randy’s Road Trip tour and his first public appearance in Winnipeg since the Bombers claimed the 107th Grey Cup last November.

The Free Press attended the event but also caught up with Ambrosie earlier in the day to chat about some of the pressing issues with the league.

Here are some of the highlights from both chats.

TAMPERING WINDOW A WORK IN PROGRESS

The CFL enacted a new “tampering window” this year, giving teams a seven-day head start before free agency opened to gauge interest from players on expiring contracts.

Under the old rules, teams were required to wait until free agency opened to talk to available players. The only problem with that was it was never followed by general managers, and it was comical to see deals being reached just moments after the market opened.

Talking to personnel around the CFL, the feelings were mixed. Ambrosie said he wasn’t ready to provide an answer about an overall impression across the league, but it’s a main topic he’s discussing throughout this tour.

“It seemed to be effective but until you’ve talked to everyone it’s impossible to know,” he said.

ROOKIE CONTRACTS FOR CANADIANS HITS A SNAG

There appears to be a language issue in the league’s new CBA that is making Canadians wanting to move from the NFL to the CFL a costly choice.

The matter came into public view this week when it was announced TJ Jones, a Canadian-born receiver who spent the last four seasons in the NFL, was told his new contract with the Toronto Argonauts did not fit the appropriate conditions for first-year Canadian players.

Jones signed a one-year contract with the Argonauts worth $200,000, but under the language in the CBA, he still qualifies as a “rookie” and therefore is restricted to a three-year deal worth slightly over the league minimum of $65,000.

Ambrosie didn’t want to take a stand because he’s learned from the past that when he doesn’t consult with the CFL’s players association first, it hurts their relationship.

But he believes it’s likely a mess-up with the language, and there is an expectation from both sides to work together to amend it quickly.

A NEW RULE FOR FAILED DRUG TESTS?

Ambrosie admitted he was caught off guard by what happened with Andrew Harris last season, when the Bombers running back served a two-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug but still put up the kind of numbers worthy of league recognition.

Unlike the NFL, the CFL has no rule against players who fail a drug test from winning year-end awards. Instead, Ambrosie left it in the hands of the Football Reporters of Canada and there was enough local chapter members that ultimately left Harris off their ballots.

Ambrosie knows it would have been a bad look if Harris had won the most outstanding player award, especially as he tries to expand the league’s reach to all corners of the world, and so there has been talks to create a new rule similar to the NFL.

“Until that moment it had not been on the radar,” Ambrosie said. “It was a discussion with the executive committee in January and we’re putting together a report and it will be on the agenda for our conversations when we meet with league governors and the management council in March.”

The CFL is in the midst of putting together a memo outlining what happened, how it was handled and what kind of response the league wants to have. Expect a rule for next year.

NEW PLAYOFF FORMAT

A new playoff format has been among the hottest topics of late, with the chance for a new look coming soon.

The suggestion comes from Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller and it includes a first-round bye for the two division leaders, with the remaining four playoff teams seeded based on overall records. Miller went one step further when he tabled the idea that for the division finals, the team with the best overall record would get to choose their opponent.

It was an interesting suggestion but one that is unlikely to stick. What is possible, though, is to have everything in that plan go through except for the top seed choosing their opponent. Ambrosie said that option has been popular across the league and gives a lot more balance between the two divisions.

WEATHER DELAYS

There was a lot of controversy last season when a game between the Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders was called early in the second half due to a rain delay. The Roughriders were leading at the time, 17-10, and therefore were awarded the victory.

Media and fans were confused by the decision, which was new to the CBA but hadn’t been publicly announced. Needless to say, it caused a riff with fans and prompted Ambrosie to attempt to tweak the rule this off-season.

Ambrosie didn’t have an exact solution but said it would mean giving more power to make a call, after consulting with both teams.

XFL NO THREAT… YET

Ambrosie was asked about the XFL, a new eight-team, 10-week professional football league that runs from February to April in the United States.

While it has attracted a few CFL players and will certainly provide competition, particularly for American talent, Ambrosie doesn’t seem all that threatened.

“The best thing we can do is focus on the CFL,” he said. “While we’re always going to keep an eye on and respect them, our best plan is to focus building on a bigger and better CFL.”

 

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton