CFL commish Randy Ambrosie: you don’t have to play the full regular season to justify a Grey Cup

Photo courtesy: Drew Edwards

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie doesn’t believe a full scheduled is needed in order to hand out Earl Grey’s mug.

“We started that very conversation just over the last several days and there have been some very good ideas. We know it doesn’t have to be 18. You don’t have to play a full 18 games to say that you had a regular season that justifies the playoffs and a Grey Cup game. But we haven’t landed on what the minimum number would be,” Ambrosie told Postmedia reporter Dan Barnes.

That comes following CFLPA president Solomon Elimimian sending out a memo to all players stating: “No decisions have been made, but there have been discussions with the CFL around whether training camps can start on time, as well as what a modified start to the CFL season could look like.”

“We know how it looks, we modelled it all out, but we haven’t said we’re going to make a decision by a certain date. Those things will happen in the weeks ahead, in discussions with the presidents. The advantage of it being March is that it’s March. But boy, when you start getting into April, things start getting real,” Ambrosie said.

Commissioner Randy Ambrosie cancelled the CFL combines during the ongoing COVID-19 situation and is planning for contingencies. CFL training camps are currently scheduled to open May 17 with regular season kick-off set for June 11 and the Grey Cup on the docket for November 22 in Regina. There are thoughts around the league the CFL championship game could be pushed back and played in a dome, if needed.

“It’s not something that we’re actively planning. I would be dishonest to say that it didn’t come up in a conversation. But the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the City of Regina, the Province of Saskatchewan, everyone in that province has been planning to put on a party for the ages, and right now we’re not making any adjustments to that plan,” Ambrosie said.

“Because, when this is all done, I can’t think of a better place to go to celebrate Canada’s most important national championship and a day that we all come together. I can’t imagine a better place to be than Regina on Nov. 22, so right now that is our plan.”