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Good morning, folks.
We often hear Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea described as a players’ coach. Someone who has the admiration of his troops. Someone they would go to the wall for — even through it, if they could.
I wonder if they will still feel that way if and when they get to wear the blue and gold again.
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CFL players are once again being asked to go an extra mile, with reports this week that the league has sent a proposal to the CFLPA requesting players help ensure an on-time start to the 2021 season by taking a 20 per cent pay cut if there are no fans allowed into stadiums at the start of the season in mid-June.
Salaries would potentially be topped up over the course of the season as fans possibly return to stands.
This request comes on the heels of an off-season that saw many of the league’s players either re-negotiate their deals — or sign new deals — for less dough.
And that off-season came on the heels of a completely lost season, where most players were paid nothing at all.
It’s been 16 months since the Bombers won the Grey Cup on Nov. 24, 2019.
Since then — no play, no pay.
Meantime, there was no word this week on whether league coaches, managers and executives are being asked to make a similar sacrifice to ensure the season starts on time.
Because while players have not been collecting paycheques, those folks — including O’Shea — have been.
No coach, no pay does not apply.
MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILESWinnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea is due to start his seventh season in charge of the Bombers next spring.
Yes, according to Bombers CEO and president Wade Miller, football operations folks did take a pay cut back in April of 2020, but even if that trim was 20 per cent — and we’re not sure it was — O’Shea has still collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary since the Bombers hoisted the Cup in Calgary.
Ditto GM Kyle Walters.
Ditto Miller.
Ditto commissioner Randy Ambrosie.
Ditto other head coaches, other GMs, and other team pooh-bahs.
O’Shea signed a new three-year contract following the Bombers’ Grey Cup victory. While salary numbers for coaches and managers in the CFL are not released — they should be, by the way — our educated guess is it’s somewhere between $400,000 and $500,000 a season.
Figuring in the pay cut, my rudimentary math adds up to O’Shea being paid about $550,000 over the last 16 months to coach the grand total of zero games and zero practices. That’s some sweet coin to sit around and watch film.
Our Mike McIntyre asked Miller a while ago about the optics of O’Shea collecting that kind of dough despite not roaming the sidelines when the majority of unemployed players are making zlitch.
“No. C’mon, man. We’re doing a lot here to reduce our costs. There’s a human side to this too, Mike. A human side to this,” Miller said.
A human side?
I get it, we all have bills to pay — including O’Shea.
But the players are human too, right?
Two-time CFL most outstanding defensive player Adam Bighill reportedly took an off-season pay cut from $260,000 to approximately $115,000. Walters said getting numerous veterans to restructure deals had been a “miserable experience.”
Um, for whom?
Back in April of 2020, I took a 20 per cent pay cut for a few months. So did my boss. His boss took a 50 per cent cut.
I’ll tell you what — if they had asked me to make a bigger sacrifice than they had, I’d look at them very differently today.
I feel, however, that we’ve all been in this together.
In the CFL, though, seems like some are more in it just for themselves.
But don’t worry, coach, I’m sure the players will understand.
As always folks, you can reach me by replying to this mailing or by sending me an email here.
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