CFL commissioner sounds off on Trump, U.S. inequality

Growing up in Queens, N.Y., Jeffrey Orridge watched a lot of superstar athletes. But it was a Moon in Canada that became his guiding light as he imagined his life as a black man in this world.

"My dad and I were watching a CFL game in the early '80s and my dad pointed to the screen and said 'Hey, look, that's a black quarterback. That's Warren Moon,'" says Orridge, 56, who was named the league's commissioner in April 2015.

That moment, watching Moon lead the Edmonton Eskimos to a Grey Cup championship, reaffirmed to Orridge that he could be successful and achieve his goals. And he believed it could happen in a country that, from afar, seemed more accepting of diversity.

"In Canada, if you worked hard you'd have an opportunity to compete," he says. "Not that Canada is perfect, but at least that was a visible example of how open and welcome Canada was."

By contrast, Orridge says there are institutional barriers in the U.S. that create more challenges for people of colour.

"In the U.S., often times you're not going to be treated equally," he says.

All these years later, Orridge has made his mark in Canada. He is the first black commissioner of a significant North American professional sports league. This weekend, the former USA Basketball, Right to Play, and CBC Sports executive will receive the African Canadian Achievement Award of Excellence for his accomplishments in the sports world.

"It's great to be identified as a trailblazer but it's not significant to be the first at anything if there's not a second," Orridge says. "It's about clearing a path for those who follow."

Now a dual citizen who lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons, Orridge wants to use his platform to spread a message of inclusion and set an example for his biracial kids.

"Being sworn in as a Canadian was one of the proudest days of my life," he says. "We don't have to have the same kinds of conversations that some of my relatives in the U.S. have to have about being black where there is decided resistance in many, many pockets."

American values 'eroded' under Trump

Orridge doesn't mince words when asked about how difficult it is to watch what's happening back in the U.S. since Donald Trump was elected president.

"The fabric of American values is being eroded," he says.

"I think it's very distressing times, quite frankly. Anytime we're having dialogue about the fundamental tenets of democracy, freedom of speech and expression, the right to congregate and being treated equally under the law, a lot that conversation is antithetical to principles of democracy."

Orridge, who graduated from Harvard Law School in 1986, openly admits he has enjoyed a privileged position for much of his life. His parents put an emphasis on education and made sacrifices so he could attend elite schools.

"I remember meatless dinners so they could save money for my tuition," says Orridge.

Still, being black always presented challenges.

"I was driving to a study session one night and was pulled over by the Boston police and asked to get out of my car," says Orridge. "My car was searched and I was patted down with my hands on the roof. And I explained to them that I was a student at Harvard Law School and they didn't believe me."

That night has stayed with Orridge, who sees an important lesson in it.

"It's really important that the next generation knows that the road to equality is not a linear line,"he says. "There may be some setbacks that other people don't have to overcome. The important thing is that you will not be deterred."

Which brings us back to Trump and his controversial words and actions early in his presidency.

"The perception now is that the U.S. is not a very welcoming place and not a safe place, and that to me personally is very disconcerting," Orridge says.

What makes America great, the CFL commissioner believes, is a willingness to embrace people from other countries and from a diverse set of backgrounds — something he sees in his current home in Toronto.

"[It's] a society that continues to espouse freedom of opportunity — welcoming people from different countries and the fact that we can walk down the street and see people from all ethnicities, religions and backgrounds interacting with one another.