CFL’s leadership goes dark in dire times

TORONTO Canadian Football League leadership is complicit in whatever continued harm befalls the brand as yet another calendar page flips and still nobody seems to know if there will be a 2020 season.

Though that’s looking less likely all the time.

The needless information vacuum created at the highest levels of the CFL was on display again Friday, when the league issued an empty statement, even while alleging an update on the season. Its utter waste of internet space was met with derision from media, fans and players whose frustration with the CFL’s lack of forward progress is now the default social media reaction to most league utterances.

Take, for instance, the fact that commissioner Randy Ambrosie recorded a message of encouragement to a football league in Finland, one of the CFL’s partners in its global outreach initiative. It was as benign as can be, but given the damning lack of communication from Ambrosie of late, he was taken to the woodshed by a couple of CFL players and at least one media outlet for paying attention to the wrong league.

That’s a toxic atmosphere, one that the league has helped create by going dark in a desperate time. And when they do come into the light, statements like the one issued Friday do more harm than good.

“We appreciate the intense interest in our league and whether we will play a shortened season this Fall,” the statement began.

“At this time, we continue to work with all of our key stakeholders to determine what is best for the CFL in 2020 and for our long term future. We will update the media and public as we move forward. We thank everyone, especially our players, partners and fans, for their patience, passion for our game and support for our league.”

The statement seemed to come in response to reports that the CFL’s attempts to secure financial aid from the federal government had been derailed, at least temporarily. TSN’s Dave Naylor reported the league was not likely to go ahead with a short-term, high-interest loan being offered by Ottawa; and The Canadian Press reported the CFL was no longer dealing with the Business Development Bank of Canada, but might be exploring other government avenues for aid.

Both reports were based on information acquired from anonymous sources, the only kind speaking on behalf of the CFL these days.

Postmedia requests for comment from Ambrosie and/or members of the player relations committee and/or members of the football operations department on Friday were all denied.

So we don’t know for sure whether the league will keep on grinding for financial aid or pull the plug.