Last week rumblings started that the CFL may be postponing their upcoming 2021 season. Since then, insiders have been saying to keep you eyes on the week of the 19th. Today, TSN’s Dave Naylor reports that the CFL will hold a governors meeting April 20th.
The @CFL will hold a governors meeting Tues April 20th. It’s expected they’ll delay start of season and hopefully provide some indication of what comes next. No coincidence that is one day after the federal budget is presented, giving owners opportunity to understand its impact.
— Dave Naylor (@TSNDaveNaylor) April 16, 2021
In his tweet he states that it’s expected that the league will delay the start of the season and possibly provide some more information on what the next steps are for the CFL. The league was recently denied an interest-free loan that they were looking to secure due to missing the entirety of its 2020 season.
Shortly after the CFL cancelled its 2020 season, the CFLPA told its members that those contracted to league teams would be eligible for wage subsidy from July through December. The union added the benefits could go beyond that if the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) is extended, which it was to June 2021.
Last year the Canadian government refused to provide a $30 million interest-free loan, the CFL is now looking elsewhere for financial help. Due to COVID-19, the CFL was forced to cancel their 2020 season, which reportedly led to between $60 and $80M in losses. If the 2021 season is in jeopardy, the league is set to loos even more.
The league reportedly lost between $60 and $80 million last year after the Canadian government refused to provide a $30 million interest-free loan a year ago. They’ll lose millions more if any kind of season is played in 2021.
Last week a letter started going around from the CFLPA to its players basically telling them not to quit their day jobs. This message was clearly heard by not only the players, but all of the fans looking for information on the CFL’s plans. The CFL constructed a plan to start the season on-time, but included a 20% pay cut if there were no fans in attendance. With COVID-19 still running wild, it seems that fans will need to wait a little longer. Which, could be the main reason we’ll see the CFL delay the season.
Although a delay seems inevitable, we still expect the CFL to hit the field at some point in 2021. When the CFL kicks off its 2021 season will you be tuning in? Let us know down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.
