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!!!