He didn’t get off lightly as I just explained.
A curious position you are taking when the “typical” suspension for betting on a game your team is involved in is life, yet you have advocated for much less. Some consistency would enhance your position.
Afraid of testing positive for Geritol.
I’m curious how their contact protocols are that lead to this.
In the article it states he was called twice, texted once and emailed once in a 2 hour span. Replying within 24 hours seems reasonable.
I’m wondering with an email or text, who does it come from? Perhaps the party that administrators the test? That’s my guess and if he doesn’t recognize who that is, it can be dismissed as a scam. I know I discarded legitimate emails for that reason.But I’m throwing darts here.
Edit: The party (CCES) will be allowed to contact the team starting next off season if the player doesn’t respond.
I think his situation is similar to mine. I just don’t answer attempts to contact me unless I know who it is and I don’t also have 3 kids under 5. I also wonder why on earth the CFL testing department would block their caller ID? Are they trying to trap players?
I’m not disputing that it has to be done in a timely expedited fashion. But some athletes do go off-grid during the off-season. Alex Iafallo of the Winnipeg Jets would be a prime example of this. What would have happened if no one was able to get a hold of him? Surely not what happened here.
Personally I don’t think he should be suspended if the league is going to be changing the policy immediately afterwards.
Can you or someone else post the article it’s behind a paywall
I assume you mean the Free Press article? Those are usually behind a paywall although I could read it earlier, but can’t now.
Perhaps @Dibs can copy it and re-post it!
Hashtag irony.
For #Crash
Copy and pasting an article is a pain in the ass because of the embedded links and pictures but here are the pertinent paragraphs:
Visibly emotional during an interview with the Free Press this week, Collaros detailed the exhaustingly frustrating past several weeks that resulted in his decision to forgo an appeal, despite strongly asserting his innocence, and the league ultimately agreeing to change its off-season drug-testing notification policy.
The bottom line for the 36-year-old Ohio native was standing up for his rights.
“Talking to my dad about it, and some other people I care about a lot, I’ve always done things the right way and I wouldn’t want young people to think that I don’t,” he said.
“It’s hard for me to talk about, honestly, I just want to move on with it. It’s been an everyday thing for me the last two months.”
The chain of events that led to the CFL suspending the two-time Most Outstanding Player began Feb. 4 when a CCES official first attempted to contact Collaros to arrange a date for an off-season drug test.
The CFL/CFLPA’s negotiated drug policy stipulates a CCES official must attempt to contact a player twice by phone, once by text message and once by email within a two-hour window. Despite being tested throughout his 14-year CFL career, Collaros has never tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
Collaros can easily recall the Feb. 4 date, as it coincided with both the first day of CFL free agency and Super Bowl week.
He remembers being on his phone at times, including with former teammate Kenny Lawler, who was still trying to work out an extension with the Bombers. Throughout the week, he also received calls from news outlets eager for his two cents on his close friend, Travis Kelce, the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kelce, his former college roommate at the University of Cincinnati, was preparing to play in his third consecutive Super Bowl and is currently dating global music superstar Taylor Swift.
“I had told the team I didn’t want to do anymore of those interviews,” Collaros said. “I don’t want to be asked about his girlfriend. That’s none of my business.”
Voicemail unlistened; email, texts unread
Collaros does not recall receiving a phone call from a CCES official; it appeared on his phone as an unknown number. In fact, he said it wasn’t until a week later, during a conversation with a representative with the players’ association, that he learned someone attempted to contact him.
The CFLPA inquired about Collaros’ activities that day but throughout the questioning there was no mention of a possible suspension, nor was Collaros informed he was already under investigation for his inaction.
The representative requested Collaros check his phone, where he discovered the missed call, a voicemail he had not listened to and the CCES email.
“I asked what that was supposed to mean?” Collaros said. “They didn’t know, but that somebody in the league office really wants this one.”
The league had made more stringent drug testing a priority after going through the entire 2015 season without a program. The league, in partnership with CCES, now administers enough tests to cover 100 per cent of its players, though some may be selected multiple times while others aren’t tested at all. Former Bomber running back Andrew Harris was suspended two games in 2019 for testing positive for a banned substance .
Collaros then contacted Bombers team president and CEO Wade Miller and spoke with his agent, Dan Vertlieb. Vertlieb’s father, Art, a prominent lawyer in B.C. with a long history with the players’ association, also lent his expertise.
It was during this stretch that it became apparent the language regarding off-season testing is somewhat ambiguous, notably lacking any explicit penalty for failing to respond.
Collaros sheepishly admits that while he understands what substances are prohibited, he pays little attention to the training camp seminars that annually address the issue. However, Collaros acknowledges ignorance is not a defence.
“I hate that I’m making excuses, and at the end of the day, it’s on me to follow the rules,” he said. “We do know that there’s off-season testing, but I can honestly tell you — and maybe other people feel differently — I never thought there were any consequences if you miss a phone call.”
And while also not an excuse, Collaros pointed out he has three kids under the age of five — a challenging situation for any parent — and he and his wife Nicole maintain a strict no-phone policy around their children.
After consulting with legal counsel and union officials, they could find no grounds for a successful appeal. Collaros’ argument would not be that he abstains from performance-enhancing drugs; rather, he would need to identify a clause in the bylaws that would exempt him from responding to a CCES official.
That proved a tough pill to swallow.
“It pisses me off because I don’t just want to lay down to these people,” Collaros said, a lump again forming in his throat. “I can’t help but get emotional when talking about this, but I had always been above board in this sport, in any sport.
“I love sports. I work my ass off. We all sacrifice a lot of time and effort in the off-season, during the season, to be in shape, to be at our best. I don’t want someone to think I did it the wrong way and that’s what really made me want to fight it.”
New communication protocols to be introduced
Meanwhile, the CFL head office was examining Collaros’ concerns regarding what he perceived as inadequate communication channels. Collaros had cited other professional sports leagues, such as Major League Baseball, where more safeguards are in place to protect players, including additional points of contact with either the team or the player’s immediate family members.
Collaros believes he would not be facing this ordeal had these precautions been implemented. He noted that a single call to the Bombers would have sufficed to get his attention.
The CFL agreed, offering Collaros a one-game suspension instead of two. However, that came with a caveat: Collaros would forfeit his right to appeal the one-game penalty, and any attempt to do so would result in the offer being withdrawn.
The CFL and CFLPA have since agreed to introduce new communication protocols for off-season testing going forward.
“I think that says we’ve known this guy for long enough, we don’t believe he was evading or using anything,” said Collaros, whose offer to take a subsequent test was turned down. “However, we have a policy, so we’ve got to follow through with this.”
“At the same time, if the policy is flawed and that’s why they’re going to change it, why do they have to suspend me?” asked Collaros. “Take my one or two game cheques as punishment, but let me play.”
For a player who has absorbed crushing hits on the field, the next ones will be among the hardest to take — dealing with the rumours, innuendo and social media chatter that will question his reputation.
However, after a career of playing before hostile fans, he’s confident he’ll be able to tune it out.
“The people that I care about know what I’m about. That was kind of my first inclination, when we were debating on the one game, I don’t care what these people think, I want to do what’s right for the organization, for the team, for my teammates,” Collaros said.
“Pushing this down the road for a 20 per cent chance of winning (an appeal), 10 per cent chance of winning and then maybe getting suspended and it becoming a circus in Week 8 or 10.
“I just thought it would be better to handle this one day at training camp, and missing the first game will suck, but then we’re just playing football and we can talk about other stuff.”
@Dibs thank you. I was able to read it by signing up.
For what it’s worth, I believe him.
The suspension is still warranted but there’s no way in my opinion with all of that he was purposely evading them.
Let’s be honest, he’ll be “randomly” selected for testing all year now.
Whatever, it’s one game.
It is a stupid expectation to have to check your phone everyday (during offseason). and a harsh penalty if you don’t.
Something like this should maybe come from the agent, or league directly so he knows the sender. So many scams now, none of us like to answer an unknown #
Here is just one example of why my wife and I DO NOT answer or open any unrecognizable phone numbers or emails anymore
About a year ago my wife answered the phone…
a voice said “hi mom”
Nervously (not recognizing the voice) my wife said “who is this?” Keeping in mind we are a blended family I have 2 sons, she has 2 daughters.
The voice then said “it’s your son” something our children would never say. Again she asked “who is this”
The voice said “I’m your son, I need help”
My wife then said “I don’t have a son”
The voice said “I’m your son, I need financial help, I’m in trouble”
She repeated " I don’t have a son"
The phone went dead.
About a 6 months ago I answered an unrecognizable phone call…
A very similar situation happen to me.
The main difference is I kept asking him “what is your name son” after each time he spoke.
Eventually the voice said “I’m in the hospital, I’m in a lot of trouble, my lawyer will call you, I need help”
I asked “is this you Joey”
The voice said “yes dad it’s Joey”
I said " I don’t have a son named Joey"
The line went dead.
We also experienced similar type negative activity from email scammers.
We are unknown people…
how many strange phone calls/ Emails do you think a celebrity gets a day?
we almost never answer an unknown call unless we recognize the number. We do however quickly check for messages after.
How many times has this suspension ever been handed out?
No clue
Pretty sure never, until now.
This isn’t a major problem.
He admitted he doesn’t pay much attention to the preseason training he’s given.
It’s apparently not unreasonable for every other player that complies and gets tested.
It’s his fault, he screwed up, we move on.
Probably not very many. As this is a relatively new entity.
CSSP
Everyone has the right to train and compete in safe, respectful, and supportive environments. We believe Canada’s sport system should prioritize the safety and well-being of everyone involved.
This is the intention of the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS), which clearly defines prohibited behaviours for anyone subject to the code. For sport participants to be protected, there has to be a way for individuals who engage in unacceptable conduct to be held accountable.
As of April 1, 2025, that became the responsibility of the CCES. Through the Canadian Safe Sport Program (CSSP), we receive and respond to reports of prohibited behaviour under the UCCMS committed by individuals who are part of national, federally funded sport organizations. We have established the CSSP Rules to clearly and publicly set out how we do that, including defined timelines at each stage of the reporting process. The CSSP also offers support services to connect participants with help along the way.
We are committed to providing a safe, timely, reliable and procedurally fair environment for anyone involved in a report of maltreatment. Everyone connecting with our team will be treated with respect, dignity, and compassion.
We welcome and encourage feedback about the CSSP as it evolves to meet the needs of the national sport community.
He’s owned that it is his fault. But the fact the league has agreed it isn’t a great procedure doesn’t look good. If anything, it’s his pride that stings, especially for those that want to shame him.
He’s always been a role model, and taken that serious. Something like this could tarnish his rep.
I agree 100%. He’s had a great reputation (had one in Hamilton too).
I hope he’s known as someone that screwed up vs someone that attempted to side step doping. But then again, Rider fans will not be convinced otherwise