Players tired of CFL’S lack of transparency: Bowman
Als veteran, union VP doesn’t mince words when discussing the state of the game
At age 37, John Bowman might have played his last game for the Alouettes if the Canadian Football League season is scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But Bowman also remains the first vice-president in the league’s players association. On Thursday morning, in a telephone interview with the Montreal Gazette, he railed against CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie, along with team owners and executives, for what he believes to be the archaic manner in which they operate.
And this came before Ambrosie, later in the day, issued a lengthy open letter to players and fans alike.
“They wonder why CFL teams and the CFL as a brand hasn’t grown in 107 years? Times have changed, but they haven’t,” charged Bowman, who then went on to criticize the league’s business model.
“It’s the economics of how they work,” Bowman said. “This is their business. This is how they want to run it, on a deficit. That’s their problem. That’s not the players’ issue. We don’t have control over how they spend the money. We know why, as an executive ... teams are still valued at the same rate as 20 years ago. They don’t want to change. That’s on them.”
The players are growing more frustrated — almost on a daily basis, as more and more go public — while continuing to wait for an announcement about this season. All that’s known is no games will begin before September. Should a truncated season materialize, it could be played out in one or two hub cities, or in each CFL market with a limited amount of fans. But the league faces serious financial peril without gate revenue on which it relies.
The players have complained about a lack of transparency from Ambrosie. Brian Ramsay, the players association executive director, recently said he was “dismayed” by allegedly false statements coming from the commissioner.
“It’s just frustrating that there isn’t good enough communication on the part of the league,” said middle linebacker Hénoc Muamba, the Als player representative on union matters. “The fact that people on the outside think we’re working together when we really aren’t. We don’t get information ... and we’re supposed to be partners in this.
“It just doesn’t seem like the league has the players’ best interest.”
When Ambrosie appealed — alone and without the players — to the federal government for financial aid last month, he said the league routinely loses between $10 million and $20 million annually. And this is despite the fact the CFL annually receives approximately $50 million from TSN as part of its television agreement. In a nine-team league, that covers the 2020 salary cap of $5.3 million.
It was reported this week the non-player football operations cap of $2.588 million — money that must be distributed among up to 11 coaches and 14 other staff members — will be reduced by 20 per cent next season. And although the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) doesn’t expire until the end of the 2021 season, Postmedia reported Thursday that the league invited the players association to begin negotiations aimed at amending the CBA in hopes of a shortened season.
Bowman justifiably assumes it’s only a matter of time before the league proposes the players salary cap is reduced. Bowman, who has spent 14 seasons with Montreal — including some where he was likely well paid — said he’s in no immediate financial jeopardy and has no intention of seeking outside employment.
“Nothing ’s off the table if they want to change the CBA,” he said. “We want everyone to know the players want to play. It can work. It can happen, but we’re not at that level (yet). We want to return in a safe and healthy environment, with a plan that focuses on not only prevention but aftercare and togetherness. But we don’t feel like we’re ever part of their plan.”
Understanding the growing criticism he has continued to face — not because of the health crisis, but rather the perceived lack of honesty and openness — Ambrosie issued a detailed statement Thursday in which he said he and other head office executives voluntarily took pay cuts of at least 20 per cent in April.
He said the league is strongly committed to working positively with the players and he can understand their desire for some certainty about the season. But he cautioned this can proceed only if it’s accomplished safely and proves to be financially viable. Like others, he’s relying on the advice of Canada’s public health authorities.
Ambrosie’s statement brought an immediate Twitter response from Als defensive end Adrian Tracy, who called it a lie, accused the commissioner of being a clown and criticized the league’s operations as a joke.
Bowman never definitively committed to playing in 2020, although he has continued training and remains under contract. The belief was he would return, although he said he was on the fence.
And with each passing day, he potentially moves one step closer to retirement and a post-cfl career, he hopes, in marketing and advertising.
But Bowman made it clear he fears for the CFL’S long-term survival.
“If there’s no season this year, next season also will be in jeopardy,” he said. “And the CFL could be in jeopardy.”
They wonder why CFL teams and the CFL as a brand hasn’t grown in 107 years? Times have changed, but they haven’t.