Bombers cut payroll; Wade Miller, Kyle Walters, Mike O’Shea included

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have succumbed to the financial strain of the novel coronavirus.

President Wade Miller had to make the difficult decision to trim the bottom line by cutting his own salary along with general manager Kyle Walters, head coach Mike O’Shea and eliminate four other jobs according to Winnipeg Sun reporter Paul Friesen.

“It’s a punch in the gut. We had great renewals and new season tickets. It was very positive until this came. It’s throughout our entire organization,” Miller told Friesen.

“Starts with me and goes right down from there. Everybody can look around and see what’s going on. Everybody is in this together. Absolutely everyone understood the position we were in and every company, forget sports, everybody — there are no winners in this situation.”

According to Friesen, seasonal staff usually hired in May have had their roles postponed. The Bombers are the latest team to cut salary amid the COVID-19 pandemic. So far Ottawa, Montreal and Calgary have all reduced compensation for team employees.

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie stated on April 7, the 2020 CFL season won’t start before the beginning of July. The regular season was scheduled to kick-off on Thursday, June 11. Ambrosie cancelled the CFL combines in March and continues to plan for contingencies.