Hamilton, Winnipeg and B.C. fined by CFL for exceeding 2023 salary cap

TORONTO - The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and B.C. Lions have all been fined by the CFL for exceeding the league’s 2023 salary cap.

But none exceeded the $5.45-million cap by more than $100,000 so the selection order for the '24 CFL draft April 30 remains unchanged.

The CFL released the results of its detailed season-ending audit Friday.

The 2024 salary cap is set at $5.525 million.

Bombers ride momentum to $5.7-M profit

The sting of a heartbreaking Grey Cup loss for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers has been eased by a major boost to the bottom line — for a second consecutive year.

On Thursday, the Winnipeg Football Club announced an operating profit of $5.7 million in 2023. That’s an increase of nearly $1 million from 2022 — when the organization boasted record highs in gate revenue and team merchandise sales — and more than double the $2.8 million it made in 2021.

“What our success comes from is the fact that we have such a committed team of staff, that work so hard to find ways to make our game-day experience better and that fan experience better,” Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller told the Free Press in a phone interview Thursday. “To have the on-field product and consistency in our football ops be as successful as they’ve been, that matters and makes a big difference. Then it comes down to the fans, who continue to show us that fire and passion.”

Revenue generated came in at $50.5 million, which topped last year by $5.1 million, for an increase of 11 per cent. The Bombers certainly benefitted from hosting the West Final for a third consecutive year, not to mention leading the CFL in attendance for a second season in a row.

Three-time Grey Cup champion Shawn Lemon announces retirement from football

Shawn Lemon is going out on top.

The veteran defensive lineman announced his CFL retirement Wednesday. The decision came less than five months after Lemon helped the Montreal Alouettes defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 28-24 at Tim Hortons Field for their first Grey Cup title since 2010.

"I just spent some time thinking about it and it's time for me to move on," Lemon said. "I'm definitely grateful and thankful for my time in the Canadian Football League.

"It's just the right time to leave after a championship and an amazing season with Montreal. I'm thankful they (Alouettes) gave me an opportunity to come in and play last year. I just wish I could've got to Montreal a little earlier in my career."

Argos tight-lipped regarding lawsuit

General managers and coaches from across the league took turns meeting virtually with reporters on Tuesday from the CFL Combine in Winnipeg.

Conversations mostly centred around prospects and how teams will go about evaluating them this week, but that all changed when the Toronto Argonauts brass sat down in front of the camera.

Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie and general manager Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons were repeatedly asked about the ongoing lawsuit recently filed by the team’s former strength and conditioning coach against quarterback Chad Kelly.

In the lawsuit, the coach alleges she was harassed by Kelly on several occasions and the Argos enabled him by creating a toxic work environment, as well as an unwillingness to properly address the issue despite being informed of his behaviour. The lawsuit also alleges the team breached the CFL’s violence against women policy by not submitting an incident report to the league’s office.

Bombers have had success finding Canadian content at CFL combine

General manager Kyle Walters and head coach Mike O’Shea were acquainted with Winnipeg long before they turned the Blue Bombers into a powerhouse.

As young players trying to stick out in their respective draft years, they made the trip to the Manitoba capital for the CFL combine.

This year’s player evaluation event is back in Winnipeg, starting Thursday and running through Sunday.

“I remember it was at the Golf Dome and Mike Kelly (former Bombers offensive co-ordinator and head coach) handed me a cheeseburger. That’s the way it ran back then,” said Walters, who was selected in the second round of the 1996 draft by Hamilton.

New season, new mindset for Big Blue

The reality that longtime teammate Jermarcus Hardrick is no longer a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers is starting to sink in for Stanley Bryant. Hardrick, who started at right tackle for the Bombers from 2016-2023 and was one of the more outgoing personalities on the team, signed a significant free-agent deal with the Saskatchewan Roughriders last month. Thirty-seven-year-old left tackle Bryant and quarterback Chris Streveler are in town for some promotional appearances and spoke to reporters at the stadium on Thursday. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS QB Chris Streveler is eager to share the things he learned on his […]

Ford looking forward to returning to Blue Bombers following NFL tryout

Tyrell Ford can see coaching in his football future but is gladly hanging up his whistle for the next little while.

The 25-year-old defensive back will resume his CFL career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers after missing last season to pursue NFL opportunities. During that time, Ford worked with the coaching staff at his alma mater, the University of Waterloo, before ultimately deciding to return to Manitoba.

"Oh, 100 per cent. I want to be a coach … but I'm super excited about going back (to Winnipeg)," Ford told The Canadian Press. "Right off the jump, I miss the guys.

"It's unfortunate some guys won't be there, obviously it's a business and that's how it goes. But I definitely miss the guys and to the ones who're still there, I can't wait to get back to work with them. I really missed playing."

Bisons receiver one step closer to realizing CFL dream

AK Gassama wants to be a CFL receiver for reasons much bigger than football.

Born in Sierra Leone during the civil war, his family fled to Winnipeg when he was four and lived in public housing for several years.

“Growing up in the inner city, there’s a lot of people who I grew up with who ended up dead or in jail,” said the University of Manitoba Bisons captain. “I just want to rewrite that narrative and be someone that can say at the end of the day, I took all possible measures and didn’t leave one stone unturned. That’s why I go so hard to create a platform to show kids that no matter what situation you’re in, if you have that focus, you have that purpose, and you get behind it with hard work, anything is possible.”

Gassama is on the doorstep of making that happen as he’s the lone U of M product to score an invite to the CFL Combine in Winnipeg (March 19-24).

Bombers mourn passing of former coach Dave Ritchie

He wasn’t a renowned orator, but former Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Dave Ritchie could get his message across with pure emotion and expressive looks.

“There was one specific speech he gave to us. I think it was to start a game-week prep off,” recalled Troy Westwood on the weekend. “I’m not sure that public speaking was one of his strengths as far as delivering a (Winston) Churchill-like speech or anything like that. But when he got emotional and started rolling downhill, he would get the guys really ramped up.

“Some of his analogies were absolute classics. I’m sure you’d get a boatload of those from guys who played for Dave over the years.”

Indeed, many associated with the CFL since the early 1990s have likely been swapping stories or quietly remeniscing about Ritchie, who died Saturday at the age of 85.

Visiting remote communities a bonding and eye-opening experience for Blue Bombers and community members

Growing up in Florida’s blistering heat as a young football player, Brandon Alexander never imagined his career would one day lead him to travelling on an ice road to one of the most remote communities in Canada.

For the Winnipeg Blue Bombers safety, it ranks as one of his coolest and, at times, most nerve-racking moments since joining the CFL in 2017.

As incredible an opportunity as it was to drive across a manicured frozen passage on Lake Winnipeg, it paled in comparison to what Alexander would encounter at the other end. It’s what happened — first at Garden Hill First Nation, followed by a short plane ride to Red Sucker Lake First Nation – that’s left an indelible mark.

“I’m feeling a different level of appreciation right now,” a reflective Alexander said on the flight back to Winnipeg late Wednesday. “I don’t think we fully understand how blessed we are and how fortunate we are to play the game that we love and do the things that we love. Hopefully, with us being there, it really touched one of those kids to strive for whatever they want to be.”

Ploen a modest, everyday icon

Wednesday’s celebration of life for Ken Ploen was heartfelt and humorous, tearful and touching. It was also a good history lesson. The story of an ordinary guy who performed extraordinary feats but also served as an explanation for how a legendary football star could be so revered 57 years after he hung up his cleats. BROOK JONES / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Janet Ploen speaks Tuesday at the memorial service for her late husband, Ken Ploen. Ploen, who died on Feb. 13 after a lengthy struggle with dementia, was 88. He is survived by his wife Janet, son Doug, daughters Kendra […]

Winnipeg triumphs over bust for kicker Castillo

For a team that prides itself on continuity, it’s only fitting that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were able to offer Sergio Castillo something he’s never experienced before in his football career: a chance to stay put.

Argos engulfed in scandal

It was supposed to be a quiet time for the CFL, a break from the frenzy that was free agency the last couple of weeks.

Then a bombshell in the form of a wrongful dismissal lawsuit aimed at the Toronto Argonauts, with a specific focus on No. 1 quarterback Chad Kelly, changed all that. On Thursday, TSN’s Rick Westhead published a report detailing the lawsuit filed by a former Argonauts assistant strength and conditioning coach.

In the lawsuit, the coach alleges she was harassed by Kelly on several occasions and the Argonauts enabled him by created a toxic work environment, as well as an unwillingness to properly address the issue despite being informed of his behaviour. The lawsuit also alleges the team breached the CFL’s violence against women policy by not submitting an incident report to the league’s office.

The coach, who worked for the Argos between 2018 and January of this year, is suing Kelly for $50,000 for alleged violations of the Ontario Human Rights Code, according to TSN, and the Argos for $85,714, for wrongful dismissal. The allegations against Kelly and the Argos have not been tested in court and a response has yet to be filed by the player or team.

Riders, Ticats busy signing talent

The moves came fast, and for some CFL teams, furiously as free agency opened earlier this week.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders, coming off a second consecutive year of missing the playoffs, were the busiest of the bunch, signing a handful of names on opening day, including high profile deals to all-stars, offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick and running back A.J. Ouellette.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats were also very active in hopes of a better fortune this season, with their biggest acquisitions coming from the club just down the QEW, as the Ticats convinced defensive lineman Dewayne Hendrix and defensive back Jamal Peters to jump ship in Toronto.

Then there were teams such as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, B.C. Lions and Montreal Alouettes, all of whom spent much of their energy trying to re-sign players from last season. That left a bunch of clubs – Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto and Ottawa – in the mushy middle, with efforts to add new pieces, as well as keep their own guys.