UPDATE: salary cap talks turn SERIOUS!

CFL Talk
#1
[url=http://www.sportsnet.ca/cfl/article.jsp?content=20051208_151551_3328]http://www.sportsnet.ca/cfl/article.jsp ... 51551_3328[/url]

The CFL is "buzzing" today as word of Kyries Hebert's five-year, million-dollar contract with the Ottawa Renegades filtered across the league.

Even more than the length and value of the contract, emotions seemed to be highest concerning the supposed guarantee of $300,000 in the deal for the safety/linebacker according to the report in Thursday's Ottawa Sun.

"This really (expletive) me off" said one team executive. "The money thing is going to create big problems for all of us with our guys (free agents), but that guaranteed thing is the biggest issue. As a league, we don't need to go there. We can't go there," he continued.

Another CFL source expressed surprise saying "it's probably been 10 years since we've even seen the word guaranteed."

With team presidents meeting in Las Vegas this week, the reaction has only accelerated talk about the need for a strong commitment to a league-wide salary cap "with teeth."

Sportsnet has learned that discussions in the league meetings have included, in addition to the much-discussed $3,800,000 proposed salary cap, the need for outside independent compliance officials to monitor each of the nine teams. If agreed upon, outside regulation would be a league first.

"We are going to recommend to the Board of Govenors that we hire an outside auditing or accounting firm that will give us absolute clarity to teams' total expenditures," said a team executive. "It has to include exposing teams with side deals. And we have to give Tom (Wright) our total support in terms of fining their (expletive) off if they exceed the cap.

"In fairness to Ottawa, this is not about them. Their timing is kind of bad so this is going to make it look like it's about them, but it's more about other teams that everyone knows about."

The Vegas meetings included some fireworks between league executives, Sportsnet has also learned. According to one person in attendance, Calgary Stampeders president Ted Hellard was very aggressive in condemning Edmonton's salary expenditures in a loud directive to Eskimos COO Rick LeLacheur.

A CFL coach, speaking on the condition of anonymity, seemed to concur that the Eskimos are the biggest culprit. "What can we say to Ottawa when Edmonton won the Cup doing it their way? My owner tells me that (the Eskimos) may have spent more money on players than any team he can ever remember doing."

Thank you, Gliebs....they go make themselves look foolish ONLY to get the CFL serious about doing things right...AND NOW!!!
they draw attention to the important and urgent issues, in a way that can't be ignored by CFL brass.
ALL HAIL THE GLIEBS!!!

#2

Ted Hellard would like to see controls on spending no doubt about it. Deals like Ottawa's will put this league under very quickly. The Gliebs are morons!

#3

or they are geniuses for drawing so much attention to this issue that the CFL can no longer ignore it.

if the CFL owners have taken notice, because of this ottawa transaction, and decide they need a cap that is strongly enforced....then the Gliebs did the league a favor.

the league needed a push, and the gliebs provided it!

#4

Very true wow Lonie to the football hall of fame!

ouch thanks I needed that

#5

so your gonna be mad if this ( Glieb issue ) leads to a hard and enforcable Cap???

#6

I really think this is going to happen eventually! The Gliebs accelerated the issue a bit. Ted Hellard is on side with a cap. $3.8 million will be tough on some teams to get down to that with their present teams. The problem is what little loop holes will there be. On another site they statedup n Edmonton Huey will sign them then have the player work out side the organization such as endorsements for local compaies to get around the cap.

#7

read:
"the need for outside independent compliance officials to monitor each of the nine teams"

should help put an end to that nonsence.

#8

Agree this can only be good for all teams in the CFL right Huey! Good post DG

#9

Since the CFL brass sit on Huey's wang anyway, I can't see a cap enforcement any time soon. And even if they hired an independant to monitor the teams even they would probably be in Edmontons back pocket. Some way some how, the rich teams will sneak around any cap because the CFL has a very thin back bone.

#10

They should have be cracking down when Edmonton and Calgary were going over last off season.

Ottawa with American owners (idiots that they are, but...) breaks the cap, and everyone goes nuts?, what gives? what took the so long?

I just hope Ottawa makes the playoffs in 2006, and if things countinue the way they are, they might do it.

#11

No one knows how much each team is over the current(cap) except for the owners themselves since this type of info is not released publicly. Right now it is only speculation/whining as to how much and which teams are over the “cap”.

#12

That may soon change.

#13

Right now it is all speculation (and hopefully that changes soon). But last year the salary cap was $2.6 million and say a team spends 600,000 on their qb,s (B.C., Edm) they only were allowed to spend an average of $52632 on other players, which I don't think happened. This year it's $3.8 million, so if you have 2 qb's at 600,000, a db at 200,000 and say a running back at 150,000 you are only allowed to spend an average of $79166 on the rest of your players. Which can be done but for each other player on the team who makes more than 100,000 that average drops lower and lower.

#14

Didn't Tom Wright say that all the teams were over the 2.6 million cap this year? just wonderin.

#15

Rumor down in Calgary says that the Eksies were closer to 5 mil and Calgary was around 3.5 mil but again rumors. Ted Hellard has since returned from these meetings and is reluctant to state what has happened but he was vocal for a salary cap. He also was vocal about the way thee trade was done.

#16

I actually like the Dweebs for doing this (well at least the Gliebs aren't bland and boring like most owners), hopefully this will put a stop to this debacle.

And to put a stop on the Evil Empire (Edmonton), the real culprit of expanding players salaries.

#17

damned evil empire ...

#18

Marty York Reports that the Evil Empire Chairman, Darth Campbell has found away around the Salary Cap. He will hiring players as golf caddies this year. Reliable sources tell us that when a player signs for $50,000, he will be actually getting $150,000 dollars. Broken down, it will be $50,000 from the Eskimos, and two rounds of Golf from Darth Campbell also at $50,000 each. Commisioner Tom Wright will be happy as the Eskimos will be under the cap the first time in 34 years, and the players are happy to receive the balance of their salary from the mysterious Darth Campbell Golf club.

Remember....You heard it here first!

#19

Anyone agree that the "team executive" from the article with all the explitives was good ol Roy? =) Who else would have that many in 2-3 paragraphs of speaking?

Go Riders!!

#20

If they seriously push the salary cap it wouldn't surpise me that it could lead to the end of Edmonton's 30+ years of playoff appearances.