Category: Canadian Football League

CFL team renamed the Edmonton Elks

The CFL team in Edmonton has been renamed the Elks

The Edmonton team in the CFL has chosen its new nickname: the Elks.

The former nickname was the source of controversy and ownership decided last year to move on from it.

“This was a process that originally began back in early August of 2020 with an initial discussion around the possibilities,” Elks President Chris Presson said in a release. “Thanks to our wonderful fans and partners across the board for their input, dialogue, and debate. Re-branding a team is hard. Re-branding a team with 100 years of history is even more challenging and we worked hard to meld that history with something new and meaningful.”

And on Tuesday, the Edmonton Elks were born … along with helmets and merchandise.

A rival from Alberta fired the first shot:

Now all that has to happen is for the CFL, which scuttled its 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to play football in 2021.

Now about that NFL team in Washington …

CFL announces it will return to play in 2021

CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie says the league plans to play in 2021 with a Dec.12 Grey Cup

After a year completely scuttled by the COVID-19 pandemic, the CFL announced Wednesday it plans to have a 2021 football season.

Commissioner Randy Amrbosie said via a release the league will kick off its regular season Aug. 5.

This is the second news the CFL has made in recent weeks. The league was recently topic of a report that suggested it could form some sort of partnership with the third-time fledgling XFL in the future.

As part of the new schedule, the Grey Cup will be played Dec.12 in Hamilton, Ont.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D17OMPxWWi8

Per Ambrosie: 

“We will play CFL football in 2021.
“Our revised target date to start our regular season is August 5. To facilitate a 14-game season, for our players, fans and partners, we are re-scheduling the Grey Cup to December 12 in Hamilton, Ontario.
“I say ‘target date’ because our plans are subject to the state of COVID-19 across the country. A so-called ‘third wave’ in some provinces is forcing us today to postpone the start of our regular season, which had been scheduled for June 10.
“So, what must be in place for us to kick off on August 5? Two things. 1. The approval of public health officials across the country of our plans for protecting the health of our players, coaches, and ultimately our fans, so a 2021 season is safe. 2. Permission from governments to host a significant number of fans in the stands, in a significant number of venues at the start of the season, and in the rest of our venues soon after that, so a 2021 season is financially tenable for our clubs.”

Whatever happened to Kelly Bryant, who started ahead of Trevor Lawrence?

What became of Kelly Bryant, who once started ahead of Trevor Lawrence at Clemson?

Once upon a time, presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft Trevor Lawrence wasn’t the starter at Clemson.

It didn’t last long but as a freshman, Lawrence was behind Kelly Bryant for the Tigers at the start of the 2018 college football season.

It didn’t last long.

Bryant sat for two seasons behind Deshaun Watson, took Clemson to an ACC title and the College Football Playoff as a junior, and lost his job to Lawrence despite a 16-2 record as a starter. The move happened four games into the season in late September.

Lawrence went on to become a superstar, assuredly the player the Jacksonville Jaguars will take when they make the first selection in the NFL Draft on April 29.

What became of Bryant?

He transferred to Missouri, where he played in 10 games for the Tigers in 2019. Bryant threw for 2,219 yards with 15 touchdowns and six picks.

After that, he had a tryout with the Arizona Cardinals last year that did not pan out.

When most recently heard from, Bryant signed in February with the Toronto Argonauts, where he will be reunited with cousin and former NFL WR Martavis Bryant for the 2021 season.

 

Dwayne Johnson plotting interleague play between XFL and CFL

Dwayne Johnson is a big thinker. The mogul and actor is reported to be working on a plan to blend the XFL and CFL.

A run for President of the United States seems to be on stronger footing for Dwayne Johnson than a reported plan for his XFL and the CFL.

According to Front Office Sports, Johnson — with business partner Dany Garcia — is working to blend the XFL and CFL. That’s not the actual news.

What is would be the possibility of interleague play between the leagues.

Per FOS.com:

Here’s how it could work, a source told Front Office Sports: Both leagues would play their regular seasons — there could be “interleague” games, similar to MLB — and once the respective XFL and CFL champions are crowned, they’d face off in an interleague championship game.

There could also be an “All-Star Game” pitting players from both leagues. The long-term objective: the merger of the two pro football leagues.

Not quite sure what the football fans North of the border are going to think of such an idea given the history of the Grey Cup, which dates to 1909.

FOS was unable to get a comment out of either the XFL or CFL.

The CFL just missed a year due to the pandemic. The XFL made it through five weeks in its second run before Vince McMahon declared bankruptcy for the league, which lasted one year in its first incarnation in 2001.

 

Watch: Georgia wrecks Cincinnati’s undefeated dream with late field goal

Cincinnati’s undefeated season was wrecked by a Georgia field goal in the final seconds of the Peach Bowl

Georgia wrecked Cincinnati’s dreams of an undefeated season when Jack Poledsny drilled a 53-yard field goal with two seconds left Thursday in the Peach Bowl.

The Bulldogs added a safety on the last play of the game to make the final 24-21.

The Bulldogs trailed 21-10 entering the final quarter and rallied, eventually setting up the long field goal.

The last time Georgia won a game while trailing by 10 or more in the fourth quarter was 2013 against Georgia Tech.

 

CFL linebacker charged with attempted murder in Pittsburgh

Jeffrey Knox Jr. of the Toronto Argonauts is wanted on multiple charges.

A difficult story out of Pittsburgh on Sunday as current Toronto Argonauts linebacker — and former NFL practice squad player — Jeffrey Knox Jr. has been charged with attempted murder.

Knox, who went undrafted in 2014 after playing college ball at California (Pa.), is being charged with two counts of attempted homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, as well as endangerment and firearms violations.

Knox spent time with Tampa Bay, Washington, and Tennessee on their practice squads.

Per Thestar:

Pittsburgh police responded to 911 calls Oct. 23 for two men shot in the city’s South Side Flats area. Police reports say two men were discovered with gunshot wounds to their legs. Both were taken to hospital and were listed in stable condition.

Police also said video footage showed a verbal dispute between three men, with one man —whom they identified as Knox Jr. — striking one of the other men in the face.

Cara Cruz, deputy public information officer for Pittsburgh Public Safety, said the incident occurred in a bar/nightclub area popular with college students.

The Argos said they are “well aware of the charges” and “take these matters seriously,” but have not yet determined how to proceed.

“We are currently looking into it and determining the appropriate next steps for our organization,” the statement said.

The CFL season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

CFL cancels 2020 season

There will be no CFL season in 2020, the league announced Monday.

There will be no professional football North of the border in 2020.

The CFL officially canceled its 2020 season Monday due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The league’s statement:

TORONTO – The Canadian Football League is shifting its focus to 2021 and beyond after deciding not to play a shortened season this Fall.

“Our league governors decided today it is in the best long-term interests of the CFL to concentrate on the future,” said Commissioner Randy Ambrosie.

“We are absolutely committed to 2021, to the future of our league and the pursuit of our vision of a bigger, stronger, more global CFL.”

… He added the league and its teams are working together on a new initiative that will allow fans to show their pride in the CFL’s storied history at the same time they pledge their support for the future, which will be unveiled in the coming days.

The league lost its number one source of revenue – fans in the stands – when the COVID-19 pandemic prevented large gatherings.

Unlike US-based leagues that can count on television or streaming to provide the lion’s share of their revenue, the CFL depends heavily on its live gate.

Edmonton CFL team announces it will drop controversial nickname

The CFL team in Edmonton joins the NFL team in Washington in search of a new nickname.

There is one team in the NFL working on a new nickname. Now, there is a team in the CFL in the same spot.

The Edmonton franchise in the CFL announced Tuesday it will drop the nickname that has caused major controversy North of the border.

There is no new nickname yet. Until one is determined, the club will be known as EE Football Team and Edmonton Football Team.

“… 2020 is already a year of unprecedented upheaval,” team board chair Janice Agrios said during a videoconference. “Our most recent opinion research shows plainly that views are shifting quickly.

“People who defended the name only a year ago are less comfortable with it now. Institutions are being renamed around the world. The change to our name is part of a sweeping societal change.

“Thank-you to those members of the Inuit community who spent time sharing their views with us the past three years. To those Inuit who told us they loved having a football team called the Eskimos, we hope we can continue to be your team. To those who were offended by the name, we have heard you and recognize your concerns.”

It is only a matter of time before Las Vegas begins setting a line on what team finds its new nickname first, Edmonton or Washington?

 

Reports: CFL’s Edmonton team heading toward nickname change

Will the CFL team in Edmonton be changing its nickname?

The pressure from the business world led to the Washington NFL team retiring its offensive nickname. Now, there are reports from North of the border the CFL team in Edmonton will follow suit.

While Edmonton has not confirmed anything, and as recently as July 3, said it would keep its nickname, TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reported a change is coming possibly as soon as next week.

A spokeswoman for the Edmonton club, though, said the team had no update Friday. Pressure has mounted in recent weeks for sports teams to eliminate racist or stereotypical names.

The CFL season, meanwhile, has been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and its status is uncertain for 2020. It is unclear when Edmonton would play its first game with a new name, if the change goes through.

There have been repeated calls in the past for the Edmonton team to change its name.

Canada’s national Inuit organization in 2015 said it was time for a change.

“It isn’t right for any team to be named after an ethnic group,” said Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, which represents Canada’s 60,000 Inuit. Obed has said that Inuit people are not mascots.

Although American Inuit continue to use the word Eskimo, Canada’s northern people left that name behind about the same time they began negotiating their land claim in the 1970s.

Aaron Paquette, a city councillor in Edmonton, tweeted that he met with the CFL club on Thursday and, was “very impressed with the potential coming out of our conversation.”

Per CBC.ca: 

Insurance provider Belair Direct said last week it is rethinking its premier partnership with the team. A spokeswoman said the company “will need to see concrete action in the near future, including a commitment to a name change.”

Boston Pizza, another sponsor, said “as part of a larger shift in our overall marketing strategy, Boston Pizza recently ended its sponsorship of Edmonton’s CFL team.” It tweeted the statement as a response to someone asking about whether it plans to follow the lead of Belair Direct.

A former club executive believes current management knows what it has to do.

“I am so proud that I took the initiative to launch consultations with the Inuit, I felt it was very important for me to head north to experience the culture firsthand,” former club president Len Rhodes, who accompanied the team contingent on various visits to the Canadian North beginning in 2018, told Postmedia on Friday. “It was one of the most enlightening experiences in my entire life. The trips that I made were important steps in building a long-term relationship based in respect and understanding. Inuit are very respectful people. I met with cultural, business and political leaders in Inuvik, Yellowknife, Iqaluit, and Ottawa. I spent time speaking with people everywhere.

“The decision is now one that is in the hands of the organization. I have the confidence that they will make the right one. The team has always been a community leader.”

CFL postpones season until September due to COVID-19 pandemic

The CFL will not play summer football, announcing its regular season will be delayed until September … at the earliest

One football league was knocked out by the COVID-19 pandemic, the XFL. Now, the CFL has decided it will wait until September — at the earliest — to try and play its regular season.

The CFL typically starts its season in June and it runs until the Grey Cup, which is played in late November.

“We have learned three things about running a league in a pandemic. Certainty is hard to come by. Scenarios are plentiful. And public safety is paramount.

So, while we keep our focus on safety, we want to keep our fans informed as the number of possible scenarios narrows and decisions are made.

It now appears the earliest the CFL might return to play – for a shortened but meaningful season – is this September.

Of course, a final decision on whether that will indeed happen will depend on what governments tell us is safe for our players and fans.

But barring some huge development, like a vaccine for COVID-19, it now seems clear we can rule out playing games this summer. There are several reasons, including the continuing restrictions on assemblies, travel and border crossings. Notably, several provinces and municipalities have already decided to prohibit until September 1st, all sporting events featuring large gatherings.

https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/1263184679416496128

The league also addressed what will happen to its championship game, the fabled Grey Cup.

It has become increasingly clear we will not be able to host a traditional Grey Cup and Grey Cup Festival, certainly not with the size and scope that has become customary.

With that in mind, and in agreement with the Roughriders, we have made the decision to change our Grey Cup plan. The Saskatchewan Roughriders have been awarded the 2022 Grey Cup. And if we return to play this year, the host of the 2020 Grey Cup Game will be determined by a “win and host’ model. The team that qualifies for the Grey Cup and has a superior regular-season record to its’ opponent will host the Grey Cup Game. This gives all nine CFL teams a shot at hosting the Grey Cup in this unprecedented year. We are also considering moving the Grey Cup into December, as we explore every option that will allow us to play as many games as possible in 2020.

The plan for the Grey Cup in 2021 remains unchanged: the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will host for the first time in 25 years.