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Cohon’s state of the league address largely uneventful, but sees a few interesting answers

andrew bucholtz

REGINA—CFL commissioner Mark Cohon's state of the league address Friday morning was far less controversial and newsworthy than several of itspreviousiterations, and that's probably a good thing. Much of Cohon's introductory statement was focused on all the success the CFL's finding thanks to a rich new TV deal, impressive ratings boosts, new stadiums in several markets and the expansion Ottawa Redblacks formally joining the league. Even most of the questions he took afterwards weren't about massive issues, and Cohon had good, if not particularly revelatory, answers for the ones that were relatively serious; the discussion about potentially going to an earlier season stood out enough for its own post, but even there, Cohon managed to defuse things reasonably well and offer a balanced answer. However, that doesn't mean nothing of import was said. Here are a few of the key answers from Cohon.

—When Terry Jones asked him about the decision to keep the lists of players protected and unprotected in the forthcoming Ottawa Redblacks expansion draft private: "We've talked about this a lot. We've talked about this from the perspective of our fans, we've talked about it from the perspective of media, what sort of interest there would be in it, we've talked about it from the perspective of our players and our coaches. I have to wear many hats as commissioner and I can't always make everyone happy."

"As I think about this, I thought the most important thing as it comes to the draft was that we need to protect that relationship between players and coaches. Imagine in your newsroom, Terry, if your publisher said we're going to rank the top 20 reporters and figure out who we're going to protect. What sort of tension would that create in the newsroom? I think it would create a lot of tension. And I think that's my job. My job as commissioner is to protect the integrity of the game."

"There's going to be a lot of conversation on the afternoon of December 16 about those teams. Looking at it from a business perspective, would I like there to be more chatter, more discussion, more social media buzz about the draft going into it, and fans talking about who's protected, who's not, sure, but at the end of the day, my hat is to protect the integrity of the game and that relationship of players and coaches. I'm bending to the wishes of players and coaches—not bending, I'm agreeing to the wishes of players and coaches."

That's an interesting answer, and one that makes some sense. While it's worth debating where the line should be drawn between keeping players and coaches happy versus creating interest in the game, those interests definitely are opposed at times, and it's the commissioner's job to sort that out. He's chosen to favour players and coaches on this one, but perhaps that will lead to expanded access elsewhere.

—When Bruce Arthur asked him about concussion numbers year over year and how the CFL compares to the NFL on that front: "I think we're 42 this year versus 43 last year. I think per capita when you look at the number of players in our league and the number of plays, we're pretty flat comparatively, very similar to the NFL. I don't think there's any stats that show because of our bigger field it changes; I haven't come across any research on that. I think more importantly, our number of game day losses were up a little bit, but I think that's also to do with us having great protocols in place, assessments in place to make sure players don't go back on the field if they have been concussed. So we're really focusing on the treatment of our players and getting them healthy before they come back on the field."

That focus on player recovery is smart. It's an approach the CFL hasn't always taken in the past, but things have seemed better this year, with only one really notable situation where a player came back questionably early (Mike Reilly in Edmonton).

—Arthur then asked a follow-up about lawsuits along the lines of the NFL one. Cohon essentially said the league is focused on current player safety, and they're working hard on rules to keep players safe. As per the chance of litigation? "We're focused on what we can control."

—Dave Naylor asked about how the league will address things like the Chris Williams contract dispute going forward. Cohon said the main focus will be on ensuring teams negotiate only with registered agents, a big problem in the Williams case.

"The important thing we're talking with all our teams about right now is making sure you're negotiating with registered agents."

—The chances of certain players being allowed to declare for this year's draft thanks to the eligibility rule changes also came up. Cohon said the league is considering it, but hasn't chosen a firm tack yet.

"We haven't made any decision yet."

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