CFL enters uncharted waters

TSN Football Insider

Follow| Archive

So, into uncharted waters we go.

It feels like we’ve already experienced nearly everything in the Canadian Football League. But a collective agreement rejected by the membership after being negotiated by its own bargaining committee and recommended by its player reps? Well, that is new.

Let’s quickly recap how we got here before we get into where we may be headed.

Can confirm the @CFL has indeed submitted a new proposal to the @CFLPA. Teams are practicing today. It’s “possible” this gets resolved without chaos. We’ll see … #CFL #CFLPA

CFL makes new CBA proposal to CFLPA after players reject tentative agreementhttps://t.co/IoEysAJFoO#CFL | #CBA pic.twitter.com/CyUdd7KJDU

CFL players went on strike May 14, the day before training camps were to open, rejecting the league’s latest offer. That deal had some significant gains for the players, but it also reduced the number of true Canadian starters from seven to six. (Three teams – Edmonton, Calgary and Montreal – continued to practise as they were not in a legal strike situation based on provincial law.)

Four days later, on May 18, the two sides came to a tentative agreement. The league improved its give to the players in several areas, but the ratio was rolled back, essentially from seven to five and a half – four full-time starter roles and three where players could be restricted to 51 per cent of snaps.

Essentially, the CFLPA agreed that up to three veteran American players could take up to 49 per cent of snaps of up to three Canadians. It sounds complicated but the net result is simple – more snaps for Americans and fewer for Canadians. And where playing time goes, money follows.

There has always been a low-grade tension between