Adrian Sciarra out as Ottawa Redblacks president

Photo: OSEG. Photo edit: 3DownNation.

Adrian Sciarra is out as the president of the Ottawa Redblacks. The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) made the announcement on Monday afternoon.

“Our fans have been patient and they deserve better,” said OSEG CEO Mark Goudie in a statement.

“We are making this change because the Redblacks need dedicated football leadership focused entirely on building a winning program. Our priority is to find a football leader with the experience, the CFL connections, and the track record to help rebuild this club into a perennial Grey Cup contender. That search begins today.”

Sciarra served as the CFL’s vice-president of commercial assets for five years prior to joining OSEG in 2013. He became the president of the Redblacks in 2023.

Ottawa has lost 15 consecutive games dating back to last season, setting a modern CFL record for longest losing streak. They are the tenth team in CFL history to start a season 0-9.

The Redblacks have made the playoffs only once since the start of the 2019 season, going 27-85-1 over that time span.

OSEG expects to have hired a permanent replacement by the end of the calendar year.

“John Ruddy and I are committed to winning football in Ottawa and to building a football organization that will be here for the long term,” said OSEG managing partner and Redblacks governor Roger Greenberg.

“That commitment is reflected in our investment in players, coaches, and facilities, and now in the new football leadership that we will bring to this club. We owe it to our fans and to this city to build a team that wins consistently, and that is exactly what we intend to do.”

OSEG indicated that Sciarra will remain with the organization and continue in his role as president and alternate governor of the Ottawa 67’s.

“Adrian has been with OSEG since day one and has played an important role in building this organization from the ground up,” said Goudie.

“His contributions extend well beyond football and hockey, including securing founding partnerships and naming rights sponsors while playing a key role in attracting and establishing relationships with the sports organizations that now call TD Place home. He is an important part of this organization, and I’m pleased that he will continue with us.”

The Ottawa Redblacks (0-9) will visit the Montreal Alouettes (8-1) at Percival Molson Stadium on Thursday, August 20 with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT. Last week, the Redblacks extended their modern CFL record losing streak to 15 games, while the Alouettes were on bye.

The weather forecast in Montreal calls for 23 degrees and a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 1200 in Ottawa or TSN 690 (English) or 99.5 Montreal (French) in Montreal.