Deborah Sharp Furlong passed away Thursday following a car accident in Ireland.

It's a tough time for one of Canadian sport's most prominent names. John Furlong, the executive chair of the Vancouver Whitecaps and the former CEO of the 2010 Vancouver/Whistler Olympics, lost his wife Deborah following a car accident in Ireland Thursday. In a statement released Friday, Furlong said he and his family are crushed by the loss:

“It is with a broken heart that I must tell you of the death of my beloved wife Deborah Sharp Furlong as a result of an automobile accident while driving alone on vacation in the southeast of Ireland on April 11, 2013.”Furlong said their extended families are “beyond words” over the loss and he thanked his friends and well-wishers for their heartfelt concern as the family faces this sudden and painful tragedy.

Former Lions' tackle Khalif Mitchell says he won't report to Toronto.

The Khalif Mitchell saga may not be resolved as neatly as once thought. When the B.C. Lions decided to trade their former all-star defensive lineman to the Toronto Argonauts earlier this month, it looked like one of the rare deals that worked for everyone involved; Mitchell received another chance to prove that he can be a talented player and not just a controversy creator, the Argonauts got to restock their depleted defensive line and the Lions were able to jettison a problematic player for something in return (DE Adrian Awasom and the rights to a negotiation-list player). However, Mitchell told Sportsnet's Craig MacEwen Thursday he doesn't plan to report to Toronto, citing a new business job he's picked up in Seattle:

This doesn't appear to be a spur-of-the-moment statement in a single interview, either. TSN's Farhan Lalji spoke to Mitchell advisor Guy Gillingham Thursday, and Gillingham offered some pretty strong quotes:

CFL director of officiating Tom Higgins oversaw two new rule changes this year.The CFL's rulebook is evolving rather than static, and it underwent some further changes Wednesday when the league's board of governors approved the two changes proposed by the rules committee: allowing video review on field goals/single-point conversions and allowing coaches to use both of their timeouts in the same half. Both changes seem reasonable: the CFL's seen a few questionable rulings on field goals and conversions over the last few years, so this should help reduce those, and removing the rule that allowed only one timeout per half should give coaches more strategy options. However, these are reasonably small-scale changes compared to some that were originally discussed. That's fine, but the CFL should be willing to pursue aggressive change again through the rules committee next year.

For now, these are reasonable changes, and they should make the game better. Expanded video review has worked very well for the league in most other areas, which makes sense; there's often a better view of a particular play available through different camera angles or slow-motion playback, and there's no reason not to use that information when it's out there. We've occasionally seen field goals that looked good on first glance and were called good by the on-field officials, but later looked more questionable on video; the inability to have those reviewed may well have swung some games. This change is a step in favour of accurate calls, and that's always a good thing. Similarly, reducing the timeout restrictions seems reasonable; it should put extra emphasis on when to use a timeout (although coaches are still only allowed one within the final three minutes of the second half), and adding to the game's strategy seems positive.

CFL chief operating officer Michael Copeland (right) is taking on the role of president as well.

It looks like the CFL's top leadership is going to be in place for a while longer. Commissioner Mark Cohon signed a three-year contract extension last February, and the league announced Tuesday that chief operating officer Michael Copeland has been promoted to league president as well as COO. Copeland has been with the league since 2006, a year before Cohon was hired, and he's done a strong job overseeing areas from CBA negotiations to television contracts to the league's return to Ottawa. Here's what Cohon had to say about Copeland in a release:

The Bombers' release of Alex Brink suggests they're looking for a new QB of the future.It's been an offseason of change for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and the most dramatic changes may have come at the most pivotal position: quarterback. The team followed up their earlier release of Joey Elliott with the release of Alex Brink Monday, but then added former Brigham Young University Wildcats and Arizona Cardinals pivot Max Hall and former Rice Owls quarterback Chase Clement. With incumbents Buck Pierce and Justin Goltz, they likely have all the quarterbacks they'll bring to camp, and they may have a better idea of who's going to be their quarterback of the future. There are still plenty of questions about their quarterback situation this season, though.

The releases of Brink and Elliott are understandable, as both never really found consistency in Winnipeg despite some solid performances. Elliott looked like one of the league's best quarterbacks some weeks, but ended his Bombers tenure with seven touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a 58.0 per cent completion rate over three years, not really good enough to inspire a lot of optimism about his CFL future. Brink's stats are similar: also in three seasons, he threw 13 touchdowns against 13 picks, but only completed 56.8 per cent of his passes (including a dismal 55.8 per cent mark last year). While both quarterbacks looked great at times, their bodies of work didn't really suggest that they were set to take the next step and become a consistent CFL starter, so it makes sense that the Bombers are looking to go in a different direction. However, that doesn't mean their new plan is going to be immediately successful.

Famed CTV broadcaster Johnny Esaw passed away Saturday at the age of 87.Famed Canadian sports broadcaster and executive Johnny Esaw passed away at the age of 87 Saturday in Toronto, and he'll be remembered for contributions that spanned the sports world. Esaw started his career on the radio in Saskatchewan, then moved to Toronto in the 1960s to become the sports director for CTV's local station and quickly worked his way into many critical positions. He produced the first colour broadcast of a hockey game in 1967 (from Vienna, Austria), was influential in getting figure skating widely televised in Canada, did the famed 1972 Summit Series interview with Phil Esposito, and eventually became vice-president of CTV Sports in 1974, a position he held until his 1990 retirement. While there, he managed to broadcast the Indy 500 live in Canada almost 10 years before it was shown live south of the border, both securing the rights and then calling the race himself. Esaw's CFL contributions will be particularly remembered, as he was a key force in broadcasting and promoting the game, announcing games from 1962 to 1973 and continuing to host broadcasts from 1974 to 1986 despite his duties in the CTV office. Here's what CFL commissioner Mark Cohon said about Esaw in a statement Sunday:

Argos' star Chad Owens won his MMA debut in Hawaii Saturday.When reigning CFL Most Outstanding Player Chad Owens announced he'd be taking part in a mixed martial arts fight in Hawaii this offseason, there were plenty of questions to be asked. Sure, many football players train in MMA during the offseason, and some former football players have found success in the sport, but a current player competing in an actual MMA fight was something relatively new (although former Edmonton Eskimo Adam Braidwood reportedly did so as well during his time in the CFL), and something potentially dangerous. While MMA workouts can be incredibly useful for players, actual fights carry significant injury risks, and the Toronto Argonauts can ill-afford to lose a star player like Owens thanks to an off-season event. However, the current player contract doesn't ban MMA fights (that may change down the road), so Owens went ahead and the team offered reluctant support. It worked out for them, as you can see from this video of Owens' unanimous-decision triumph Saturday night, one he told Hawaii News Now he emerged from without serious injury:

For a guy who's a football player first and foremost, Owens definitely has strong MMA skills. You can see him controlling the fight throughout in that clip, taking opponent Junyah Tevaga down early and often and then pounding him once he got him to the ground. Owens isn't big (he's listed at 5'8'', 180 pounds, making his "Mighty Mouse" nickname apt), but he's remarkably quick and agile, and he has impressive striking skills as well. Owens earlier said he's committed to the CFL, but wants to explore MMA to see if it might be an option once he finishes his football career. A relatively low-level fight like this doesn't necessarily mean he has a career high-level MMA, especially when you consider the experience gap he'd have against most fighters, but he certainly showed some potential here.

Chris Williams eluded tacklers this past season. Now, he's trying to find a way out of his contract.

There's an interesting situation developing in Hamilton, with star Tiger-Cats' returner/receiver Chris Williams apparently looking for a way out of his contract. According to Drew Edwards, he may have found one. Williams signed a deal for two years plus a third year with a team option in 2011, and the Tiger-Cats obviously exercised that option given his success, keeping him around through the 2013 season. Williams is now saying that the Tiger-Cats didn't offer him the option of signing a minimum-term contract (one year plus a team option) in 2011, which would be a violation of the CFL's collective bargaining agreement and could potentially provide a way for him to get out of the last year of this current deal. From Edwards:

Multiple sources say the Ticats receiver and kick returner has asked the CFL player's association to investigate whether the team violated the terms of the collective bargaining agreement with hopes of having the final year of his contract with the club declared void.

At issue is a little-known provision within the league's CBA which stipulates that every player must be offered a minimum-term contract – one-year plus a team-held option – even if the club is offering as longer-term contract as well. Williams was signed to a three-year contract (two-year-plus-an-option) in May 2011 and is contending that he was not offered a minimum deal at the time.

Tiger-Cats' head coach/general manager Kent Austin (who was just hired this offseason; it would have been former GM Bob O'Billovich's administration who negotiated Williams' deal) told Edwards a concern has been raised by Williams and agent Dan Vertlieb, but the team hasn't received a formal complaint and still views Williams' contract as binding. Thus, if the league and/or the players' association don't elect to push things any further, it's quite possible Williams' contract won't be voided. (Whether he'll actually fulfil it is another matter; he could easily just sit out this season, but that might not help his NFL cause.) However, while Williams' claim may seem like an attempt to find a loophole, it actually brings up an important point, and it should be thoroughly considered.