Buono beat up over ‘miserable’ year
As Lions limp into the final stretch, questions persist about the future of the franchise
On a cold, sad day in Surrey at the end of a cold, sad season, Wally Buono was asked if he’s concerned about the state of the B.C. Lions.
Apparently the question struck a nerve.
“If I told you ‘no’ then you’d say I’m an idiot,” said the Lions’ head coach and GM. “If I told you ‘no,’ you’d say he has to be the stupidest guy in the world. How can he be here as long as he has and not be concerned?
“Remember one thing: I didn’t come back to coach to put myself through this misery. I came back because I felt the franchise needed to be stable and we needed to win some more games. Do you think that’s been resolved?”
Uh, we can only assume that’s a rhetorical question.
Buono and the Lions, who started this season amid so much optimism, straggled into Winnipeg Friday for an encounter with the Blue Bombers Saturday and stumbled out Manitoba 26-20 losers.
The Leos, losers of four straight, are 6-9, in last place in the West Division and figure to miss the playoffs for the first time in 20 years. But, somehow, their football issues seem almost trivial compared to their off-field dilemma where owner David Braley is, theoretically, trying to sell the team in what is likely Buono’s last year on the job. And did we mention the Lions are in need of a new president?
It’s all added up to a horror of a season for a proud man and a proud franchise and clearly this is wearing on Buono.
“This is miserable,” he said. “You think I’m having fun? You think I need the money? Come on. I don’t need any of this.”
Just in case you missed the point, here’s Buono again: “Believe me, I know (about the problems) more than anybody. I’m the only one here. We have no president and David (Braley) has a lot of things he’s dealing with. He’s trusting me.”
While revealing, Buono’s angst isn’t really the issue. Looking forward, the Lions can’t begin to address their difficulties until the team is sold, a new president is appointed and Buono’s successor is named. You have to admit, solving all that is a little more complicated than finding a new field corner or free safety, so where do things sit now with the sale of the team?
The answer to that question depends on who you ask.
Braley has told CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie — more intrigue, the league has taken a great interest in the Lions file — there are three separate entities interested in buying the Lions and all are legitimate. Now, we can’t provide details on two of the parties, other than to report the interest of Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini has waned, but we can tell you the third is a group made up of The Waterboys, the support network established by the late, great Bob Ackles, and they satisfy a lot of the criteria Braley set down for the new owners.
First off, they’re local. Secondly, they’re invested in the franchise and its history. Third, they have some knowledge of the Lions’ inner workings and experience with the CFL.
Braley, moreover, has always said he’s more interested in selling the team to the right party than extracting the maximum price for the franchise. So this should be a relatively simple transaction, yes?
In the end, maybe it will be. The Lions have two home games left and the belief is Braley will attend one of them while holding meetings on the sale of the team. The Waterboys — headed by car magnate Moray Keith and insurance man Mark Woodall — have already made several pitches to the Hamilton-based industrialist and presented scenarios where he maintains an interest in the team or is bought out all together.
But their efforts have yet to result in anything concrete and that raises questions. Part of the problem is likely over the perceived value of the franchise. One source said if Braley would have gotten $20 million for the Lions, the deal would likely be concluded by now. But you just have to look at the current condition of the team and their attendance figures to know the asset isn’t exactly at its peak.
That leaves one other explanation and it’s disturbing. There’s some thought that, despite his public statements, Braley won’t sell the team. Instead, he’ll hang on and try to talk Buono into another year and that would spell disaster for the Lions.
The 2017 season has been bad enough, but you can imagine going through it again: A year with a lame-duck GM and head coach, a year when the business side is under-funded; a year when there’s no clear direction for the future.
Another year of that would leave wounds from which the franchise might never recover. Braley has always said his concern is about the health and well-being of the Lions.
Now it’s time to prove it.