Former 630 CHED radio analyst Eddie Steele has doubled down on his criticism of Edmonton Elks general manager Brock Sunderland.
Steele made pointed comments on The Rod Pedersen Show last Friday, which led to him being ‘let go’ by the station that holds the rights to broadcast games over the airwaves in the City of Champions. The 33-year-old continues to share his informed analysis of Sunderland and the issues with the green and gold.
“They haven’t done much winning since he’s been around here. Pro sports is a business of winning — I’ve been cut before. What’s the difference between if I’m not performing and I get cut and teams not performing and the general manager getting cut? Steele said on The Jason Gregor Show on TSN 1260 radio in Edmonton.
“I really feel there is issues there with the captain of the ship. Wherever he takes them, he’s the leader in that organization. It’s OK for fingers to be pointed at him because they’re the bottom-feeders of the CFL and they haven’t done much winning lately.”
The Elks are currently 2-5, tied for the least amount of wins in the three-down league and Edmonton has been beaten twice by the Ottawa Redblacks who are the other franchise with two wins so far. Meanwhile, Sunderland’s record with the green and gold has gotten worse each season he’s been GM: 12-6 in 2017, 9-9 in 2018, 8-10 in 2019.
“I’m not trying to get this guy fired, it doesn’t make me happy, but I’m being an analyst. So often analysts are critiquing the players, but this time I took a different route and I critiqued some of the management and where I felt that they were not really up to par,” Steele said.
“I’m used to a winning culture with this organization, I won the last Grey Cup with this organization. I don’t want to see them do bad and it pains me when I see them do bad. I’m not a hater on the organization. I know the rich history around this organization and I just want them to regain that tradition.”
The 33-year-old Steele played eight seasons in the CFL, four with Edmonton, winning a Grey Cup with Chris Jones in green and gold in 2015. He suited up in 123 games while making 145 tackles, 18 sacks, three special teams tackles, one interception and forced one fumble. The six-foot-two, 280-pound defensive lineman was selected in the third round, 22nd overall during the 2010 CFL Draft.
“It’s not just one thing that I point my finger at and say: ‘That’s the problem and this is why.’ It’s multiple different reasons for me to come to the conclusion that I came to. I wouldn’t say that the players are focusing on what the issues are with Brock, I’m sure some guys have certain emotions towards him,” Steele said.
“Just handling the organization. As the GM, you’re in charge of so many different facets and there’s a lot of moving parts. I think they’ve done a lot of things that have been self-inflicted to bring different issues to light and bring some negativity.”
