The Ottawa Redblacks are expected to have a new general manager in place shortly after the Grey Cup and just in time for Christmas, with as many as 10 candidates in consideration.
With the official interview process about to commence, we now know who a few of those names will be.
According to a tweet from TSN insider Dave Naylor: “The Redblacks will begin GM interviews this week. Among those will expected to speak to Ottawa is Duane Forde. Ottawa has received permission from the B.C. Lions to request interviews with three front office staff — Geroy Simon, Ryan Rigmaiden and Neil McEvoy.”
Jeremy Snyder has been the team’s interim general manager since the Redblacks fired Marcel Desjardins on October 25th following the team’s 2-9 start to the season.
Desjardins was hired in January 2013 as the first general manager in team history. He finished his tenure in Ottawa with a 46-71-2 record in the regular season helping the team to three Grey Cups appearances.
A former CFL fullback, Forde has been with TSN since 2008 after an 11-year playing career that saw him win two Grey Cups. He has also played a key role in TSN’s CFL Draft coverage in his time with the only television rights holder, considered one of the only true draft gurus north of the border.
Back in October, Forde told TSN 1200 in Ottawa that the newly vacant job would be of interest to him.
Leading the B.C. trio, Neil McEvoy is currently serving as the Lions’ co-GM with head coach Rick Campbell. He has been with the club for 26 years, first starting in ticket sales, moving on to media relations and then making a seamless transition into football operations prior to the 2000 season. He has been the club’s director of football operations since the 2014 season
Director of U.S. Scouting Ryan Rigmaiden has almost a decade of experience with B.C. and Winnipeg and has scouted talent effectively, including star receiver Lucky Whitehead. Rigmaiden was reportedly offered the GM job in Montreal when Wally Buono served as a consultant there.
Geroy Simon has spent the past seven years working in personnel with B.C., the team with which he became a Canadian Football Hall of Fame receiver. Currently director of Global scouting and a US regional scout, many feel Simon is ready to take the next step and become the face of a CFL franchise.
