Edmonton Football Team quarterback Trevor Harris wants everyone to stop talking about partnership and be about it.
Harris was disappointed to learn the CFL cancelled its 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Known for being an optimist, the 34-year-old wants to focus on the future and how the league can set up for long-term success.
“All the media talk needs to go away in terms of we are a partnership, we’re going to work together — we actually need to do it. It’s no longer about trying to put on this facade or this smokescreen that we’re trying to work with the players, we’re trying to work with the league,” Harris told TSN reporter Matthew Scianitti.
“We need to stop that and work together, be together and understand that it’s disappointing that the government wasn’t able to help us out, but that’s not under our control. It’s really about us bonding together with the owners, with the league, with the PA, and us saying, ‘what do we need to do to get this product back on the field?”
Winnipeg had tentatively been chosen as the hub city for the CFL if the league played its shortened schedule. However, after the Canadian government denied the league a $30 million interest-free loan, the board of governors decided against accepting money with strings attached or the owners funding the season from their own pockets and voted to call it off. Commissioner Randy Ambrosie stated the league is absolutely committed to 2021.
“We need to get this product back on the field because the Canadian people love it, the players love it and it’s a tremendous league. Honestly, I love it even more than the NFL because of the relationship that we have with the people of Canada. We’re a true Canadian culture and we’re embedded in this country,” Harris said.
“The NHL has a lot of American teams, but the Canadian Football League is Canadian. I hope we can get back on the field and have some sort of optimism and plan moving forward, but we can only do that if we really, truly are united together. I’ve grown close to the Canadians, the game and I feel like I’m part Canadian for that.”
Harris is an eight-year veteran in Canada who has shown his ability to lead on the field, and in a time of crisis in the CFL, he’s displaying the same attributes away from the turf. That’s the type of mindset which could mean a lot of winning for everyone associated with the league.
