Ottawa Redblacks hire Mike Morreale as new president

Photo courtesy: Canadian Elite Basketball League

The Ottawa Redblacks have hired Mike Morreale as their new president, the team has officially announced. News of the hiring broke on Tuesday morning.

The 55-year-old served as the commissioner of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) for eight years, and departed the organization in 2025.

Founded in 2017, the CEBL grew to 10 teams across the country during Morreale’s tenure, and garnered media deals with TSN, Next Level Sports in the United States, Fox Sports Australia, TapGo in Philippines, SingTel in Singapore, and Astro in Malaysia.

“Our fans have every right to expect much more from the Redblacks than we have delivered,” said Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) president and CEO Mark Goudie in a statement.

“Mike has two clear jobs: build a football organization capable of competing for championships and reconnect this team with Ottawa. When this club was at its best, this city felt part of it. We need to earn that back.”

Morreale played 12 seasons at receiver in the Canadian Football League as a member of the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The native of Hamilton, Ont. recorded 509 catches for 6,649 yards and 24 touchdowns over 216 career regular-season games.

The six-foot-three, 210-pound target was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian in 1998, and won two Grey Cups. He also won Most Valuable Canadian in the 87th Grey Cup, which remains the most recent championship in Tiger-Cats history. He also received the Tom Pate Memorial Award in 2000.

After his playing career, Morreale spent seven years working for the CFL Players’ Association (CFLPA), including a stint as president. He also served as a colour analyst on radio.

“I’m incredibly excited about the opportunity, and I understand the responsibility that comes with it,” said Morreale.

“This is about more than building a team that can win. It’s about building an organization that can compete for championships and give people in Ottawa a reason to feel connected to and proud of the Redblacks. I know there is work ahead, and my focus will be on making the decisions needed to build that kind of organization that leads to success on and off the field.”

The Redblacks had been without a president since August when Adrian Sciarra stepped down.

Having served as the CFL’s vice-president of commercial assets prior to joining OSEG, Sciarra became the president of the team in 2023. He remains with OSEG, though his role no longer involves the Redblacks.

Ottawa has made the playoffs only once since 2019, and recently snapped a 22-game losing streak with a win over the Toronto Argonauts.

The Redblacks experienced the CFL’s largest year-over-year attendance decrease in 2026 at 16.4 percent. The team’s average crowds of 15,167 were the lowest in franchise history since at least 1970, with the exception of 2021 when some COVID-19 restrictions were in place.

“I understand why our fans are frustrated, and they should be,” said Goudie. “They have continued to support this team through too many disappointing seasons. We are not asking anyone to believe things will be different simply because we say they will be. We know we have to show them. Hiring Mike is an important step, but it is only the beginning of that work.”

The Ottawa Redblacks (1-16) will visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5-12) at Hamilton Stadium on Saturday, October 24 with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET. The Redblacks are coming off a dramatic win over the Toronto Argonauts that ended their 22-game losing skid, while the Tiger-Cats were on bye this past week.

The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 1200 in Ottawa and the Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton.