Message sent, but it failed to deliver.
New CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie has suspended Tiger-Cats linebacker Will Hill for one game for abusing an official during Saturday night’s game in Saskatchewan.
Hill grabbed an official by the jersey during an argument — an absolute no-no in football and every other sport on the planet. The former NFLer was also fined for punching a player on the Roughriders during the same heated moment.
Ambrosie, no doubt, would have much rather dealt with something else, anything else, in his first week on the job. But into the frying pan he went.
Last year, commissioner Jeffrey Orridge banned Ticats head coach Kent Austin to the press box for one game after he contacted an official, a ruling that many around the league deemed was too lenient. Former Montreal Alouettes receiver Duron Carter was also banished for a game for bumping Ottawa Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell to the ground.
I surely thought Ambrosie would take this opportunity to show everyone that he won’t tolerate this kind of behaviour in the CFL. But Hill will be forced to just sit out one week. I expected more. Two games, at least.
I understand that Hill is a first-time offender. And I know that there are only 18 games in the regular season and missing a game cheque can sting.
But CFL officials must be thinking to themselves, one game? That’s it?
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