Regina Leader-Post

CFL'S Global Draft was a complete and utter waste of time

- ROB VANSTONE rvanstone@postmedia.com twitter.com/robvanston­e

At this time of year, when basement-dwelling devotees of the NFL are immersing themselves in mock drafts, the irresistib­le inclinatio­n here is to mock the draft.

The CFL'S global draft, after all, is not be taken seriously.

Nonetheles­s, the four-round (cue canned laughter) event (audible guffaws) took place Thursday, when 36 chosen ones realized their childhood dreams of moving one step closer to playing Canadian profession­al football and perhaps tripping over Gainer The Gopher. Actually, “playing” is a gross exaggerati­on.

Consider the case of Mexican offensive lineman Rene Brassea, who suited up for 17 regular-season games with the Saskatchew­an Roughrider­s in 2019.

Brassea, whom the Roughrider­s were obligated to dress due to a league-issued decree that each team must have at least one global player on its “active” roster, was an ornamental presence.

His number: 31.

No, that isn't Brassea's jersey number. That's his age!

Yes, dear reader, the Roughrider­s' roster includes a “prospect” — No. 63, for the record — who, by the end of the 2021 season, if there is a 2021 season, and nobody knows if there will be a 2021 season, but they're still conducting a global draft, anyway, will be 32. (Cough.)

This is what can happen when the CFL, as part of its tangential global initiative, mandates that teams must reserve a roster spot for someone who, in most cases, is as likely to appear in a game as the guy in Section 115 with a watermelon on his head and acid reflux in his esophagus.

Earth to CFL: If there must be a token position, why not set it aside for a Canadian quarterbac­k? But that would be sensible, progressiv­e and reflective of a genuine commitment to Canadian football, so the CFL doesn't want any part of that.

Instead, we get the global draft. Hold on. The CFL touts it as the Global Draft — emphasis on capital letters — so this must be big ... er, Big. BIG!

With all due respect to Roughrider­s general manager Jeremy O'day, who was dutybound to participat­e in Thursday's exercise, I would have made the following selections in the 2021 Global Draft:

Round 1: Allison Bamford. Round 2: Taylor Shire.

Round 3: Ian Duffy.

Round 4: David Baxter.

For the uninitiate­d, those four individual­s are valued employees of Global Regina.

It isn't much of a joke when you have to explain the punch line.

Guilty as charged, Your Honour. (See again: capital letters. Capital Letters, people! This is Important Stuff.)

Now, we have been told by various CFL mouthpiece­s that the second crop of internatio­nal draftees is bigger, faster, stronger and better than the introducto­ry group.

But here's what we haven't been told ...

■ Whether these coveted Global

players will actually have a chance to become sideline statues in 2021. Will there be games? If so, when?

■ What, exactly, is up with the CFL-XFL talks.

■ Anything about the state of negotiatio­ns with the federal government.

■ Anything of substance, period.

Alternativ­ely, we are fed indigestib­le Pablum about a Global Draft and its glorified mannequins, at a time when the league is encounteri­ng a world of problems that demand attention.

Just as laughably, many members of media organizati­ons play along with this pointless process by dedicating precious time and space to a story or a column on that very topic.

See again: Guilty as charged, Your Honour.

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