Hamilton Tiger-Cats GM Ted Goveia has died after battle with cancer

General manager Ted Goveia of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats has died.

The Ticats announced his death Friday, saying they were deeply saddened and would honour Goveia's impact on Canadian football during that evening's "Team Ted" game against the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

"Ted was a highly respected leader, colleague, and friend whose passion and commitment for Canadian football left a lasting impact on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. His dedication to the game and to the Tiger-Cats family will never be forgotten," the team said in a statement.

The native of Burlington, Ont., who was in his first season as Hamilton's GM, disclosed in June that he'd been diagnosed with "a serious form of cancer."

Although there was no specific mention as to the form of the disease, two league sources said Goveia was battling esophageal cancer.

"I wanted to keep my health condition in-house until we had a chance to build our team and pick our final roster," he said. "I am grateful that we were able to focus on fielding the best team possible for 2025 and not have my health become a distraction.

"I let the players know that I'm not going to be here (at team facilities) every minute of the day, and I'm going to be in treatment and need to focus on my health. I'm still the general manager, but I'll not always be in the building. But in today's day and age, everything's downloaded to my laptop and there's always the phone."

Goveia was named Hamilton's GM on Dec. 5, 2024, following 11 years with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The appointment was a homecoming for Goveia, who played high school football at Assumption Secondary School and later coached there as well as at other local organizations.

Goveia's early days as Ticats' GM were