Hufnagel regrets dine and dash
REGINA — John Hufnagel wasn’t among the interested observers when Scott Milanovich was named the CFL’s coach of the year Thursday.
Hufnagel, the head coach and general manager of the Calgary Stampeders, left the luncheon in Regina before Milanovich was officially announced as the coach of the year. Hufnagel, Milanovich (Toronto Argonauts) and Mike Benevides (B.C. Lions) were finalists for the Annis Stukus Trophy.
The presentation of the award by CFL commissioner Mark Cohon was delayed for a few minutes before it became appare n t that Hufnagel had left the lunch. After a brief delay, Cohon made the announcement.
Milanovich then joked during his acceptance speech if Hufnagel had eaten the chicken or the steak. According to a statement released Thursday night by the Stampeders, Hufnagel’s departure didn’t have anything to do with the menu.
“I would also like to express my regret for having to leave the luncheon before the announcement was made,’’ Hufnagel said in a prepared statement. “I fully expected Scott to be the winner and I wanted to be there to support and congratulate him, but unfortunately my travel schedule (Thursday) was very tight and I had to make the difficult decision to depart before the very end.
“I sincerely thank the Canadian Football League and Commissioner Mark Cohon for hosting such a wonderful event and was honoured to be in attendance.”