Anonymous player speaks out

[IC Khari]

Editor’s note: Recently, a current CFL player reached out to 3DownNaton with concerns over what he believes are economic inequalities between the league and its players. Out of concern for his job security, he has requested to remain anonymous.

By A CFL Player

The Montreal Alouette’s decision to release Henoc Muamba right before he was due a significant roster bonus is just the latest example of how badly the players in this league are treated by the teams, the league and, to a lesser extent, our own union.

I should know: I’m a current CFL player who has experienced this inequality first-hand. I’m not using my name because it’s possible that speaking out could impact my playing career. But something needs to be said.

The CFL free agency period began just over a week ago and there was plenty of news regarding the “big money” deals signed by a number of players. So-and-so got this much, so-and-so got that much. The numbers sound significant, certainly. But there is no such thing as true contract value in the CFL.

Anybody who has seen a CFL contract knows what I’m talking about. Gone are the days of signing bonus and salary. Instead, there are now many conditions attached to a player earning the full value of their deal. Play time bonuses are contingent on dressing every game. Ratio casualties and injuries? Meet significant loss of earnings. A week down to the practice roster? Enter a paycheck less than one-fifth it would have been at a league minimum salary. Even some signing bonuses are now being replaced with signing advances, which the player must relinquish in the event they’re cut by a certain date. Contracts in the CFL are not concrete; they are fluid by nature and deal largely in small amounts by professional sporting standards.

And, as the Muamba situation so perfectly illustrated, the contracts aren’t guaranteed and a player can be released at virtually any time (though there are some late-season protections for veteran players.) Muamba was reportedly set to make $235,000 this season but that money, along with his roster bonus, just went poof. Sure, another team will probably sign him but until then, he gets to live with uncertainty. And if he gets hurt while working out? Tough luck for him.

While some players certainly do well in free agency, the reality is that their paycheques often come at the expense of other players. For every Muamba, there must be two or three players making at or near the league minimum ($52,000 in 2016.) It’s not just players on their first contracts either. Veteran Americans are often forced to take less because teams feel they can be replaced by rookie players desperate for a chance.

Those contracts, by the way, are paid in Canadian funds so an American player making the minimum last season (assuming he played in every game) made around $36,000 USD after the exchange rate is factored in. And that’s also before taxes (which we pay in Canada) and living expenses (often maintaining two residences) are factored in. Unsurprisingly, many players are looking for part-time work this off-season.

In the CFL, there is just one regulated expense: the salary cap. Players understand why the cap is necessary but at the same time find it frustrating to have their earning potential limited while teams spend freely in other areas. Take coaching salaries. A player sees a coach get fired in the first year of their guaranteed contract, knowing he’ll be paid the full amount. The Riders reportedly sent 20 scouts down to the Senior Bowl to run a clinic. This shows there is more to be had.

While most teams don’t release full financial statements (more on that in a second) it’s not hard to see that the league is getting a good deal. TSN pays the league a reported $40 million a season for the TV rights which means that, if divided evenly between nine franchises, CFL teams have more than 80 per cent of the salary cap covered before they sell a single ticket or jersey.

How much do CFL teams make? That’s hard to say because the majority of franchises are privately owned and don’t have to make that information available. Courtesy of the community-owned teams, however, we know the Bombers made $3.9 million on 2014, the Eskimos $3.5 million and the Riders $2.2 million (after making $10.4 million in 2013.) We also know that CFL owners refuse to implement the one thing that would help provide economic stability – even prosperity – for every franchise: revenue sharing.

In the NFL, all 32 teams share in the revenue that comes from national TV, gate receipts and merchandise sales. It’s what allowed the league to survive and, eventually, thrive in small markets like Green Bay. And it’s allowed the players to get their fair share: the NFL collective bargaining agreement gives the players a percentage of total league revenue, as well as some local revenue not shared by the clubs as well.

Without revenue sharing or a salary cap tied to league revenues – the CFL owners won’t disclose their financials to the CFL Player’s Association – it will be impossible for players to be fairly compensated. Instead, the CBA and the cap will always be structured so the weakest franchises have a hope of making money and players will bear the brunt of that.

We as players are partly to blame. Our union has traditionally lacked the solidarity necessary to make real change – unsurprising when you desperately need a paycheque or all you want is a chance to make it to the NFL. The ratio rules place a premium on Canadian talent which is why you have a national defensive tackle making $200,000-plus while a veteran international wide receiver makes $55,000. The union is largely controlled by Canadian players as American players have traditionally been unwilling or unable to get involved.

Yes, I get it: this is the business we signed up for and we are getting paid to play a game. But the physical risks, both short and long-term, are significant and careers are usually brief. More importantly, fairness is one of the defining principles of sport and while the CFL playing field might be wider and longer, there’s one thing it isn’t: level.

Edited February 19, 2016 by IC Khari

[IC Khari]

They know or should know what they are getting into ...

Edited February 19, 2016 by IC Khari

[17to85]

Obviously an American based on the bitching about the ratio and how non imports control the union. Plus the bitching about getting paid in Canadian dollars so the poor Americans don't take home the equivalent in American dollars. The indignity of another country NOT paying people in a foreign currency. How DARE they. 

[Jpan85]

I am guessing Nik Lewis

[IC Khari]

8 minutes ago, Jpan85 said:

I am guessing Nik Lewis

KFC is expensive

[Westy Sucks]

I don't feel sorry for Mr. Annoymous one bit.  If he doesn't like getting paid to play a sport, go home and work a normal job. 

Edited February 19, 2016 by Westy Sucks

[mbrg]

The curtain is pulled back to reveal.....stuff we already knew.

[Taynted_Fayth]

Ive had some thought on this before. And I kind of agree with the anonymous player.  It cant look good for the league to have teams constantly cutting players before a bonus is due. I understand it from both the teams bottom line,  and SMS point of view, but how would you feel if you were fired from your job just before a Xmas bonus was due, one that u might have been banking on/looking forward to and essentially might have been a main reason you signed on the begin with.  How does it affect the leagues appeal down south for players to want to come here with that kind of treatment

Edited February 19, 2016 by Taynted_Fayth

[MOBomberFan]

Here comes the unpopular opinion!

Knowing you're getting a shitty deal going in doesn't make the deal any less shitty. I can't help but sympathize with the players making league minimum or PR wages while Kenny Canadian gets paid more than his fair share to be a slow unreliable <insert any position> week in week out because he has the right passport. This is a cruel and cut-throat business, only more-so to the American players we rely on so heavily for our skill positions. If we want to see better talent coming north we need to be a desirable destination. Nothing about that deal sounds desirable.

Yes, they are getting paid to play a game blah blah blah, but if they all went and got 'real jobs' instead of making league minimum who would we have to watch come July?

And before anyone gets up in arms, I appreciate the ratio and I love seeing Canadians play... whether or not they are the best available player at their position... it's just a shame that ratio balancing dictates who plays (and gets paid), and not talent. It's something I thought about a lot watching Brock Ralph try to catch a ball.

Edited February 19, 2016 by MOBomberFan
english

[mbrg]

I agree with the initial premise that the system is flawed and can be unfair to players.  Beyond that?  Don't PR campaign me.

What the Riders do with their scouts is in no way indicative of the financial health of the league, and the TSN contract is already being viewed as a massive overpayment on their part.  Don't point to IGF and say the Bombers are rolling in cash.  Giving terrible examples doesn't help your argument, it undercuts it.

Players who are in the prime of their career like Muamba should not get cut because a GM didn't have any foresight or self-control when he offered a contract 6 months ago.  That GM should have to live with his mistake, and it should not be the player's neck on the line to correct the GM's mistake.

The financial protection afforded an injured player once the season is over is laughable, and should be improved.  In any other industry there would be a viable human rights complaint pursued if an employee was just shown the door with a pittance of injury settlement after suffering a permanently debilitating injury, with a thank-you and "good luck figuring out the next 60 years of your life" as the only other things to show for it.  This is a real problem.

But that's not what he's talking about here, and when he got close to making those points he mostly missed the mark.  Most of this isn't about the rights of the player or the flaws in the system, it's just another round of "need more money".

[TBURGESS]

Muamba signed a contract that he and his agent decided was good for them, KNOWING he could be cut at any time and that he wouldn't get his bonus if he was cut before it was due. I don't see that as a player being treated badly. It's more of a player being treated exactly as the contract he signed said he would be treated. If players like Muamba who had multiple offers, don't like the terms, they shouldn't sign.

Canucks are paid more because of supply and demand. Finding 7 or 8 NI starters is a hardship for most teams so those players get paid the big bucks. The only way to change that is to change the ratio and although there are several of us around here who think that's a good idea, the majority don't. The CFLPA doesn't want to change the ratio because they are run mostly by NI's who benefit from this policy. The only way to change that is to get the Imports more involved with the union at the highest levels. As that hasn't happened over the history of the CFLPA, I doubt it will change.

What the players get paid in general has nothing to do with fairness. It has to do with supply and demand and perceived value for each player. Play well and you get well compensated. Play badly or get hurt and you get cut.

[Bigblue204]

Yup, anonymous player speaks out about stuff that has been an issue in the league going on decades. And discussed for hours on end every year on and on and on.

 

He’s right, it’s not the most Ideal set up. Not sure why there isn’t league revenue sharing. I feel like that would probably help the league in general (though I don’t know the details of why or why not). But saying that, it’s hard to stomach giving up that cash when you see the revenues of teams like TO. The league could probably afford to give out more money for player salary. But this is the first time in a while that they’ve been in a position where they are making money on a regular basis. Yes it’s nice right now, but that after a long time of uncertainty and even some instances where the future didn’t even look like it would happen.

 But like he said, this is a game. If you really want change, then CHANGE. Do something else with your time. You’re in a position of privilege and bitching about it like this doesn’t lend you an ounce of creditability. It’s a joke. And a slap in the face to the people who have jobs that don’t include games. The fact he decided to remain anonymous, for me, takes away even more creditability. You want to be taken seriously but you don’t have the guts to speak out and stand behind what you’re saying? And you want more of money? Lol he must be joking! You want to be treated like a pro? Act like one. Yup it might end your career. But if he really cared that much, if he really wanted to change things. He’d take that risk. He’d be willing to give up his career to make the future brighter for others. To show others they can speak out too. But no, remain behind a curtain and keep trying to cash in.

 

I love this game. I love the CFL. But if push comes to shove. It’s nowhere near the top of my priorities. It is near the top of first things to stop if I were to hit hard times. We all have to make hard choices in life. My dream job, one that I personally found more fulfilling and quite frankly more important than the job I’m doing now paid me horribly. Like living near the poverty line horrible. But my passion for it and love for it allowed me to make the changes in my life needed to live off of that, it wasn’t easy. And at times it was really frustrating and extremely stressful. And when it just wasn’t feasible anymore. I made a tough choice and changed industries.

 

Welcome to ADULTHOOD you “professional”.

[JuranBoldenRules]

Supply and demand is a cruel reality, especially for imports.

If you don't like the way your contract is structured, blame your agent.

[blueingreenland]

I do feel for the players a bit on this. Most of them are making "lunchbucket" salaries...and that is one of the reasons I continue to love for the CFL and why my love other leagues like the NHL has wilted over the years - CFL players are guys I can identify with...

One way to curb a bit of the discrepancy between the higher paid (and sometimes less athletic Canadian players) and the lower paid (often fill-in American) players is to raise the minimum salary in the league by 10 to 20 thousand...doubt the players union would go for that though

 

[bearpants]

My first thought was Jovon Johnson... but it was far too articulately written... 

he greatly overestimates how well off, financially, most teams are... Hamilton wouldn't exist right now if not for Bob Young... for these guys who want one more shot at the NFL, there is no other league that pays even remotely close to as much and offers as much exposure as the CFL does... unfortunately his complaints fall more-or-less under the "comes with the territory" category...

[IC Khari]

[Tehedra]

This is a fact of life, in reality is any job "guaranteed"   Most employees don't get to have a "contract" giving them a guarantee of their wages.  Work in a factory and if you aren't performing to the task at hand, you can be let go.  Your company has an agreed upon bonus? It can be removed, or you can be let go before it is paid.   Management (coaches) get paid more than the average workers even typically in an environment where the employee might actually know more than the manager.  Great managers hire those whom know more than they do, it's what makes them a great manager.  It's just what being a professional is about.  Finally as was mentioned supply and demand. 

I also disagree on this lunch box salary, the league minimum pays more than most employees in the similar age group get paid.  The cap of what these players can make by being higher performers is upwards of 150k to 230k which is more than most in the same age group would also get paid if they were high performers with an expensive education.

In the market like we have now, they don't need to worry about lay offs, they don't need to worry about market down turns, they are guaranteed that if they put out a good performance, and they have a cap friendly contract that they will have work.  Not everyone can say or claim that.

[kelownabomberfan]

It is my fondest wish that the chuckle-heads in the NFL realize just how valuable the CFL is and fronts a bunch of cash to the league to support and bolster it such that league salaries can be raised substantially.  I realize that on the surface this looks like the NFL would be hurting itself as it would make the CFL more competitive salary-wise, but I doubt many players would turn down an NFL shot just because their salary went from $150K Cdn to $250K Cdn.  Anyway, I would love to see that happen.  These players deserve more money.  And the more money the league can pay, the better the talent we attract.  It's not rocket surgery.

[Floyd]

Im thinkin Kevin Glenn

I agree with a lot of these points but without the salary cap, there is no CFL

Walters hinted a bit at a move away from these types of contracts and I think agents will soon follow as well - the roster bonus cuts will probably be a thing of the past soon

 

 

[Rich]

Roster bonuses were put in to avoid teams bringing a player to training camp, even if they knew he wasn't going to make the team, only to cut him at the end of it knowing full well it would be harder for another team to pick him up at that time of the year.

By putting a roster bonus at the beginning of the year, the team is committing to the player to be there throughout the season.

Yes, it sucks to get cut, but at least with a roster bonus, if the date of it is done properly (hello Muamba), there is a good chance you can get signed with another team.

Can't see the agents and players giving these up so easily.

[Taynted_Fayth]

Its sounded like players are surprised by these moves recently, muamba, chick, dressler (maybe?) And its easy to think a player would feel blindsided and likely assumed/banked the bonus they signed to and was approaching was as good as theirs. Id be pissed off at any company who released me just prior to paying me something we previously agreed to. 

I get the no guarantee but in situations like chick n dressler, they both bled green n white and would be the select few type players on that team that earned their bonus, even if it was ugly financially on the club.  These kinda moves hurt the integrity and appeal of the league to players down south that can easily find out these thing either thru agents or circles that word gets around in

[TrueBlue]

I find it hard to believe that if the CFLPA had more international player reps we wouldn't still be talking about this right now.  If "unwilling" or "unable" players became willing and able, the CBA they signed last season isn't anything more substantial than what it is now.  

[Jpan85]

Just have to look who is on the CFLPA executive to know who the highest paid player group in the league is.

[Jpan85]

Other than QBs

[Taynted_Fayth]

Why dont we just sign everyone to lower bases and put in riduculous bonus money out there to make every negotiation look lucrative with no intention of paying them. Wed win more bidding wars.