TSN vice president and executive producer Paul Graham has agreed to interview for the Edmonton Elks’ vacant president and CEO position, according to Terry Jones of the Edmonton Sun.
The Edmonton native has been a vice president and executive producer at TSN since 2009 but has worked as a producer in sports broadcasting for over three decades.
Graham currently manages all of TSN’s live event production for the CFL, NHL, NBA, MLS, curling, figure skating, rugby, horse racing, and IIHF, including the World Junior Championship and World Hockey Championship.
He is currently in Hamilton to produce the 108th Grey Cup, which is set to take place on Sunday between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The Elks cleaned house in late November, firing president and CEO Chris Presson, general manager and vice president of football operations Brock Sunderland, and head coach Jaime Elizondo.
Ian Murray, the chair of the team’s board of directors, indicated that the changes were needed to improve the team’s on-field performance as well as re-earn the confidence of fans in Edmonton.
The Elks finished at the bottom of the West Division with a 3-11 record in 2021 and lost eight consecutive games in the middle of their season. They dropped their regular season finale to the B.C. Lions by a score of 43-10, which was their third contest in seven days due to the rescheduling of one of their games.
Edmonton was the only team in the CFL to suffer an outbreak of COVID-19 during the 2021 season, which was just one of the many off-field issues they faced.
Graham has previously won the Hugh Campbell Distinguished Leadership Award, a Canadian Screen Award, a CANPRO and a Gemini. He was inducted into the media wing of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
