Commish says draft still on for April 30

TORONTO — CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie says the league’s draft remains on schedule — at least for now.

Ambrosie addressed the status of the April 30 draft during a question-and-answer video conference Friday with CFL fans. Ambrosie re-iterated the league continues to discuss all potential contingency plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

That includes both the start of training camps (slated for May 17) and the 2020 regular season (June 11). Ambrosie said no decisions have been made and the league hasn’t set a deadline to decide.

Earlier this year, the CFL postponed its global draft, which had been scheduled for April 16. A global combine and global draft will now be held just before camps open.

“There are so many things that are changing right in front of us and we will be prepared to adjust if necessary,” Ambrosie said. “We’re all working together at doing a whole range of scenario planning . . . . We want to keep our options open and play football as soon as we can, but only when it’s safe for our players and safe to bring our fans into stadiums.”

Ambrosie was also asked if the CFL would consider playoff games on Saturday instead of Sunday and an earlier Grey Cup kickoff to accommodate younger viewers.

“I want kids to enjoy the Grey Cup, I want them to be part of the Grey Cup experience, so let me assure all of our fans we keep thinking about these things and try to find a way to get as many people as engaged in Grey Cup as we possibly can.”

Another fan asked if a CFL video game would be produced.

“It’s a work in progress but is something we’re definitely working on,” he said.