Randy Ambrosie has been there and done that.
“I know how tough it is to play this game…getting up after game day when you can barely move and everything hurts,” he said after being announced as the new CFL commissioner.
That’s what I call street cred.
Ambrosie has the Grey Cup ring and the surgical scars to show that he knows what it takes to be a player in this game. His comments at his inaugural news conference suggest he has the passion to lead.
“I am part of this game. It’s wrapped into my DNA.”
As a guy who grew up loving the CFL, that’s what I want to hear from the guy in charge.
Ambrosie avoided the misstep that marred the start of Jeffrey Orridge’s abbreviated reign. He came across as a man who knew little of the game, its traditions and its place in Canadian culture.
Orridge never recovered from that bad start and despite what I see as more successes than failures in his two years at the helm, few tears were shed when he announced his resignation.
Now comes the hard part. Despite attendance woes in B.C. and Toronto, the league is by and large in good shape with a strong TV contract, labour stability and strong ownership in eight of nine markets (David Braley, it’s time to sell the Lions).
Are there issues? Sure. Let’s start with player safety.
While he dodged my question Wednesday on links between concussions and Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) with the “I’m not a doctor” defense, he did promise to make player safety a priority. Given his passion for the game and the men who play it, I believe him.
It’s easy to bring out buzz words like ‘social media engagement’ when talking about growing the game, but Ambrosie sees the problem of getting a new generation involved on a more visceral level.
“I’ve been driving around my neighbourhood and you don’t see kids throwing the football around. We gotta get that back,” He told reporters at his Wednesday media conference.
This guy gets it. Let’s hope the owners give him some leeway to see if he can make his love for the game contagious.
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