Dismissal forces Eskies president Rhodes to prove his way is best
Edmonton Eskimos president and CEO Len Rhodes made a very risky move last week when he fired his general manager and vice-president of football operations, Ed Hervey. It was no secret Hervey and Rhodes had differing opinions on how the organization should be run.
Hervey was excellent as a GM. In December of 2013, he inherited a disaster of a team. Their offensive line was porous, they had no competent quarterback and the defence had no identity. Hervey’s first astute move was acquiring Mike Reilly’s rights from the B.C. Lions for a second-round pick. He did it a month before Reilly was set to become a free agent, and Hervey promptly signed him.
It only took Hervey one year to turn the team around. In the past three seasons, the Eskimos were 36-18 and won a Grey Cup in 2015. The main job of any general manager in professional sports is to build a winning team and Hervey achieved that very quickly.
The Eskimos won’t find a more competent evaluator of talent on the open market. Whoever they hire will not be as good in the GM role, and luckily for him he won’t have to because Hervey left the Eskimos in a good position. They have a franchise quarterback in Reilly, a deep O-line, a solid D-line and quality players at other positions. The secondary has some question marks, but the team is significantly better today than it was in 2013 when Hervey was hired.
Hervey wasn’t fired because of his football success. Rhodes explained there were two main reasons for letting Hervey go.
“First, both parties could not agree to contract extension terms, said Rhodes. “Second, there are differences in philosophy over the way we do business. During the course of recent negotiations for a possible contract extension, it became clear that we would be unable to meet Ed’s expectations.”
Money was an issue. It always is in any negotiation, but the main reason was Hervey’s unwillingness to be more open to marketing changes. Time will tell if that was a valid reason to fire a winning GM.
I never agreed with Hervey’s decision to close the dressing room to media on practice days. It wasn’t good for the players or the media, but let’s be clear, it is also not a reason to fire the GM.
The easy solution would have been for CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge to send out a leaguemandated media policy, like the NHL, NFL and MLB have. This isn’t difficult. Make it mandatory and if a team violates it, the GM gets fined. Rhodes works directly with Orridge, so why not encourage him to implement a standard, which most professional leagues already have.
However, Hervey’s biggest mistake was biting the hand that feeds the CFL. TSN television resurrected the league years ago when it became the main TV partner.
When he forbade his coaches from wearing mics during a live-mic broadcast last season, he spit in the face of the league decision-makers and TSN. It was the wrong decision to back out at the last minute, and it was not a good look for Hervey and head coach Jason Maas. Even if the coaches didn’t want to do it, Hervey needed to remove his “football focus” and realize this decision had already been made and instruct his coaches do it. He did agree this past December to be part of the live-mic broadcasts moving forward, but that move created a divide between Rhodes and Hervey.
I’ve been covering football since 2001, and without question football players and coaches are the most worrisome professional sports group I’ve encountered. They are always on edge worrying someone is watching practice, learning their plays or secretly filming them. Believing the live mics would make them vulnerable was real in their world. They are always on edge about someone knowing what play they are calling.
Rhodes isn’t from the football world and doesn’t have the same concerns. He is a marketer and he believes making the fan experience more unique will bring in paying customers.
By firing Hervey, Rhodes put himself directly in the line of fire. Hervey won games. Fans like winners. Now Rhodes needs to prove his new ideas will bring in more fans. If they do, and the Eskimos field a competitive team, Rhodes will look like a genius.
If Rhodes’ marketing ideas don’t wow the fans and sponsors, and Hervey’s replacement doesn’t maintain the on-field football success Hervey built, then Rhodes’ decision to fire a Grey Cup winning GM will cost him his job.