Ambrosie to retire in 2025 after seven-plus years as CFL commissioner

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TORONTO — In November, CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie will hand off the Gray Cup for the ultimate time.

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Ambrosie made the stunning announcement Saturday that he’ll retire someday in 2025. The 61-year-old Winnipeg native will formally step down as soon as his successor has been discovered.

“I really feel like I’m leaping out at a degree the place I’ve helped to take the league to a a lot better place,” Ambrosie instructed The Canadian Press. “I’m leaping out at a time when the inspiration of the league is infinitely stronger than it was.

“Now, I get to show it over to the subsequent individual and need them effectively. I would be the greatest CFL cheerleader, which I really feel I’ve been, and I get to proceed that for a few years to return. It simply felt the suitable time for the league and for me to make this variation.”

Ambrosie, who performed 9 seasons (1985-93) as an offensive lineman with Calgary, Toronto and Edmonton, grew to become the league’s 14th commissioner July 5, 2017, succeeding Jeffrey Orridge. His seven-plus 12 months tenure is the second-longest ever behind the late Jake Gaudaur (1968-84).

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Ambrosie’s choice is stunning, given final 12 months throughout his annual Gray Cup tackle Ambrosie stated he had no speedy plans to step down. Typical pondering recommended Ambrosie would stay on the job no less than via the ’26 season, when the league’s broadcast offers expired.

“It’s been virtually seven-and-a-half years of seven days per week, generally feeling like 24 hours a day,” Ambrosie stated. “I’d like to provide a while again to (spouse) Barb and the women and actually put money into my household.”

By retiring in 2025, Ambrosie stated he’s giving his successor time to get acclimated with the job and put together for negotiations on new TV offers. As soon as the brand new broadcast offers are signed, the league’s collective bargaining settlement with the CFL Gamers’ Affiliation may be reopened.

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However there’ve been indicators of discontent. In September, Winnipeg president Wade Miller was vital of each Ambrosie and CFL after Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros was compelled to depart the membership’s 35-33 Labour Day win over Saskatchewan with an obvious head damage.

In response to a league supply, the CFL board lately voted on Ambrosie’s stewardship. Though it’s unclear if the vote was with regard to extending Ambrosie’s contract or ending it, the supply added it was an indication of unhappiness over lessening league distributions.

The supply spoke on the situation of anonymity because the CFL hasn’t publicly introduced the board vote. When requested if there was a vote, Ambrosie declined to remark.

CFL board chairman Scott Banda stated whereas the seek for Ambrosie’s successor will start shortly, the league has time to ascertain the suitable course of to search out the perfect candidate.

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“The fantastic thing about what Randy has offered for the league is this chance to remain within the position till a substitute is discovered,” he stated. “I believe it (hiring new commissioner) will occur when it’s greatest to occur.

“The energy we’ve right here is Randy’s willingness to stay as commissioner and proceed with enterprise as regular, which takes that entire strain level away from the board.”

Ambrosie’s choice comes with the league and recreation in good condition.

The B.C. Lions (Amar Doman), Montreal Alouettes (Pierre Karl Peladeau) and Edmonton Elks (Larry Thompson) all now have strong possession. The Toronto Argonauts, lengthy a league attendance bother spot, clinched second within the East Division with a 38-31 dwelling win over Ottawa final week earlier than a season-high gathering of 20,487.

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That might bode effectively for Toronto when it hosts Ottawa within the East Division semifinal Saturday. Final 12 months, the franchise drew 26,620 followers to BMO Area — the most important crowd for an Argos recreation since they moved there in 2016 — for its 38-17 East Division loss to Montreal whereas having fun with a 41.1 per cent improve in game-day income.

Nearly all of CFL video games this season (46-of-77 coming into this weekend’s motion) had come all the way down to the ultimate three minutes. And that’s the case in 60 per cent of contest the final three years.

And there’s parity with eight-of-nine groups ending 2024 with seven or extra regular-season wins. Coming into weekend motion, video games this 12 months averaged 51.6 factors, up 20 per cent because the league’s ’21 return to play.

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Attendance has been regular at 22,901 followers per recreation, the very best since ’19 (22,928). Final 12 months’s playoff attendance was 109,239, the very best since 2015 (109,842).

Attendance in B.C., Toronto and Montreal — the CFL’s greatest markets — can be on the rise. The Lions’ crowds have greater than doubled since 2021 to virtually 27,000 per contest whereas based on the league, the Argos’ in-stadium attendance is up 75 per cent since 2021.

Montreal’s development is over 60 per cent since 2021, with 19 per cent year-to-year will increase. And likewise based on the CFL, its tv rankings are up following 2023’s nine-per cent improve.

The six-foot-four, 250-pound Ambrosie has additionally been a success with a majority of CFL followers who appreciated his outgoing, gregarious persona and straightforward accessibility.

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“My greatest days on this job have at all times been strolling right into a stadium and shaking arms with followers and speaking to them and their sharing their experiences and keenness and love for the league,” he stated. “Possibly someone may say sooner or later I used to be a great ambassador for the league and that’s one thing I really feel I may be very happy with.”

However there have been hurdles.

Ambrosie’s CFL 2.0 initiative, his imaginative and prescient to create an expanded world attain for the league, by no means absolutely materialized. The plan included exhibition video games being performed in Mexico and potential tv offers there.

In 2020, the CFL was the lone professional sports activities league to not play because of the world pandemic. Ambrosie made repeated appeals to authorities for monetary help however none got here. No video games reportedly value the league between $60 and $80 million.

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In 2022, the CFL endured simply its second gamers’ strike and first since 1974, earlier than it and the CFL Gamers’ Affiliation ratified a seven-year collective-bargaining settlement. Regardless of the labour concord, the union has filed grievances towards the league on points that embody income sharing and health-and-safety insurance policies.

Ambrosie has lengthy supported the addition a tenth CFL franchise within the Maritimes, however the league seems no nearer to that aim regardless of having performed video games in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Ambrosie has additionally handled probably the most extreme participant self-discipline in CFL historical past. In 2022, the league suspended Saskatchewan defensive lineman Garrett Moreno 4 video games for his harmful hit on Ottawa quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, verbal feedback made about Masoli’s heritage and a reckless deal with on a earlier play.

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In Could, it suspended quarterback Chad Kelly for the pre-season and Toronto’s first 9 regular-season video games for violating its gender-based violence coverage.

In April, the league suspended retired Montreal defensive lineman Shawn Lemon indefinitely for betting on league video games whereas with the Calgary Stampeders in 2021. Lemon stays suspended indefinitely after unretiring and launching an finally unsuccessful attraction.

And in December 2021, the CFL trumpeted its partnership with Genius Sports activities, an information, know-how and business firm. However the league drew criticism from followers and media concerning its struggles to ship up-to-date in-game statistics.

Ambrosie stated he has regrets, most notably the 2020 season.

“I’d like to return to 2020 and simply form of gradual every little thing down,” Ambrosie stated. “The world was spinning like a prime.

“I’d’ve favored now with the lens of hindsight to have slowed everybody down a bit and thought issues via. However we couldn’t discover backside as a result of no person knew the place COVID was taking us.”

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