The CFL has suspended Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros one game for failing to respond to an off-season drug-testing request.
The league announced Wednesday officials with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) twice tried to reach Collaros by phone and another time via email over a two-hour period. It added Collaros, 36, failed to respond within 24 hours, which usually would result in a two-game suspension.
The league said after a review it shortened the suspension to one game, citing “extenuating circumstances.”
“You miss a call. I didn’t see it in the moment,” Collaros told reporters after the first day of rookie camp. “I didn’t even realize that it had happened until a week later when the PA (CFLPA) reached out to me and I went back and looked and there was a call there and a text message there as well. I said to the person who called me this is an honest mistake, have them call me back and we could do the test today kinda thing.
“I take responsibility for it. It’s my life. I’d hate to preach it to my kids every day to take accountability for things, so I’m taking accountability for that, however the acknowledgement of a flawed method of getting in contact. And then they’re going to go and change it. So that doesn’t sit right with me.”
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The CFL and CFLPA have also agreed to enhance contact protocols for off-season testing of players.
“You do it the right way,” said Collaros. “You don’t want to think people, especially children that think you do it the wrong way, so that was the hard part for me to swallow.”
The CFL also stated Collaros has never tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug under the joint CFL/CFL Players’ Association drug policy.
“Zach Collaros is one of the most respected leaders in our locker room and across the CFL,” Bombers president Wade Miller said in a statement. “He’s a professional in every sense — committed, accountable, and a true example of what it means to be a Blue Bomber.
“There was no intent for wrongdoing by Zach — just a missed step in the process. Both the CFL and CFLPA have since clarified and improved their communication protocols to help ensure this doesn’t happen to other players in the CFL.”
Under terms of the drug policy, suspended players can’t play in regular-season or playoff games. It is up to their club whether they participate in team activities, such as training camp, exhibition games, practices or meetings.
“Zach will miss our first regular-season game but will continue to fully participate in training camp and pre-season games,” Miller said. “As an organization, we’re also reviewing and strengthening how we support players in navigating off-season requirements.
“Zach remains an incredibly valued leader on and off the field, and we look forward to having him back under centre June 21 (Week 2).”
Winnipeg kicks off its 2025 season hosting B.C. on June 12 and then visits the Lions the following week.
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