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CFL’s ruling on coaches challenges is swift and just

Randy Ambrosie holds a football as he speaks during a press conference in Toronto, Wednesday July 5, .
Randy Ambrosie holds a football as he speaks during a press conference in Toronto, Wednesday July 5, . The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn

I love the decision CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie has made to curb the ridiculous number of coaches challenges that we have seen so far this season.

His ruling was swift, and given that this rule change is immediate, it’s a courageous move on the part of the rookie commish.

Ambrosie and the CFL’s nine member clubs could have sat on this for a while, they could have launched a study, or sought input from others before making a decision.

But the hammer came down Wednesday.

READ MORE: CFL limits coaches to 1 video review challenge

Up until this point, CFL coaches were allowed to throw the challenge flag twice a game, and a third time if they got the first two calls right, provided, of course, their team still had a timeout.

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Now, coaches will only have one video review challenge per game.

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Ambrosie says fans across the league have implored him to rid the game of the excessive challenge flags that have landed on the fake grass in stadiums from Vancouver to Montreal.

And he not only listened, Ambrosie acted.

The yellow cloth slowed the game down, killed momentum, and frustrated fans and many players, particularly defensive backs who were being constantly dinged for pass interference.

I think having just one challenge per game will speed up the game a little bit, but more importantly, it will force head coaches to think twice before they toss their one and only challenge flag.

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