Ex-Bomber Walby blasts CFL’s ‘twisted’ rule change
Former all-pro lineman says eliminating padded practices won’t help player safety
TORONTO Chris Walby knows exactly how some people will react to his anger over a move by the CFL that, on the surface, appears to address player safety.
And make no mistake, the former Winnipeg Blue Bombers allpro lineman is very angry.
But he cannot stand by silently and watch the game he knows be altered so dramatically and not speak up.
Walby is not against making the game safer, which in fairness is the intent here, but his fear is the league’s decision — in conjunction with the CFL Players Association — to eliminate contact practices will actually create more injuries than it prevents.
Walby has no problem with and actually applauds the decision to extend the season in 2018 and add a third bye week, allowing more time for players to recover between games, while eliminating those ridiculous three games in 11 days scenarios that have become far too common. But he is adamantly opposed to the elimination of regular season padded practices. To him it not only goes against everything he knows about football, but could wind up being more dangerous to the players.
Walby has never been shy about expressing his opinion and first let the country know exactly what he thought of the new no-pads practice edict on TSN 1290 in Winnipeg Thursday morning.
As a veteran of 16 seasons in the CFL and a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, a twotime winner of the league’s Most Outstanding Lineman award and a nine-time CFL all-star, Walby certainly has the bona fides to make his opinion known.
He was still red hot when contacted by Postmedia late Thursday afternoon.
“It’s just so twisted,” Walby said. “I understand wanting to do whatever you can for player safety, but I don’t think this helps player safety.”
Walby is convinced that by eliminating practices in pads which ultimately eliminates contact between games the league is opening itself up to more injuries because guys will no longer be conditioned both to hit and be hit and that Walby believes will lead to more injuries.
In Walby’s experience, it is that contact in practice that prepares you to take on contact and dish it out during games. Without the reps in practice, he is worried that “when the bullets start flying for real,” players won’t be ready either physically or mentally for the contact in a game.
“There’s just so many downsides to this decision,” Walby said.
And he doesn’t for a second believe that this will be as roundly accepted as some people think.
He points to most coaches in the league and veteran players who have been through the wars as examples of guys who will not be so quick to laud this particular move by commissioner Randy Ambrosie who, to this point, has not taken a bad step in his short tenure shepherding this league.
Walby’s hope is that “common sense prevails” and the move is reassessed after this year, just like the challenge rule that was re-addressed mid-season.
It’s only natural for a society to want to do everything it can to protect its members. Walby is all for that. But this is football, a game that, for more than 100 years, has been physical and a decision like this just doesn’t fully prepare its players for that kind of physicality.
Teams were only in pads once a game week as it was before the ruling. Taking that one practice and making it non-contact essentially is more likely to have a detrimental effect both on the game and the number of injuries, in Walby’s opinion.
Walby will not be the only voice to speak out against this move. He knows it. The commissioner knows it, too. You don’t alter one of the basic aspects of the game — you practice the way you play — without some push back from those who believe you are overreacting. Walby is firmly in that camp. The good news for Walby is Ambrosie has already proven himself to be a commissioner more than willing to make change. When things aren’t working, he steps in and changes them and he does it quickly.
It is Walby’s greatest wish that weeks or months from now, Ambrosie is taking this one back.