The Canadian Football League's board of governors has effectively voted the marquee player out of their future with a rules change designed to cut fiscal corners.
The intent of the new rule -- voted on at last month's meeting in Edmonton -- is to award marquee status only to players with legitimate drawing power such as Calgary's Doug Flutie. The effect is to ensure that quarterbacks such as Timm Rosenbach, cut last year by Hamilton, and Mike Kerrigan, a bench-warmer in Toronto, don't get close to marquee money again.
Under the old rule, every team was allowed to appoint a marquee player who did not count against the club's $1.9 million (U.S.) salary cap. To gain marquee status under the new rule, a player must be approved by eight of the 14 teams. If he falls short of that, he becomes a "franchise player," with a salary limited to $161,000 (or $225,000 Canadian). Each team can have a marquee or a franchise player.
Current marquee players such as Baltimore's Tracy Ham will be "grandfathered" for the duration of their contract, or over the next two years. That means free-agent quarterbacks Matt Dunigan, David Archer and Damon Allen -- former marquees in Winnipeg, Sacramento and Edmonton, respectively -- still can have marquee contracts with their new clubs.
The first casualty of the rule is quarterback Danny McManus, who made $74,000 leading the British Columbia Lions to the Grey Cup title in 1994. A free agent, McManus spurned a B.C. offer of $375,000 Canadian. That was before the new rule passed. Now, the Lions say they cannot offer him more than $225,000 Canadian.
How vehemently the CFL Players' Association will contest the rule is uncertain -- there already are charges of collusion. If enforced, it may precipitate some difficult decisions. In that event, Ham says "a lot of quarterbacks will be retiring."
The flow of red
The bottom line on Baltimore's first season in the CFL came up red. So says team owner Jim Speros. Although the team led the league in attendance, averaging 37,348 at home, he insists it lost $648,000.
Much of the loss was due to one-time expenses. Speros said he spent about $500,000 in legal fees fighting the NFL over use of the name Colts and $780,000 renovating Memorial Stadium (not counting the city's contribution).
Despite that, Speros would have drawn even if not for instability in the league. Baltimore's Canadian TV revenue helped keep franchises in Hamilton and Las Vegas afloat. And Baltimore never received its share of the Grey Cup gate, which also went to the bailout effort. The amount of money Speros should have received and didn't, he said, was $660,000.
Chowing down
When the contracts of some 120 CFL veterans expire at midnight Wednesday, teams will cast a nervous eye toward Birmingham, where former Calgary executive Roy Shivers is trying to duplicate Baltimore's first-year success.
"If you think [Baltimore's] Don Matthews took a knapsack across the border, wait until you see who Roy Shivers takes to Birmingham," said B.C. general manager Eric Tillman. "He's sitting down there with his knife, fork and hot plate. He's got his bib on, [and] he's ready to carve the turkey."
It's expected that the new Birmingham general manager will take at least four free-agent Stampeders with him -- receivers Will Moore and Brian Wiggins and defensive backs Junior Thurman and Doug Craft. He also is likely to sign Edmonton free-agent quarterback Allen, who's building a house in Atlanta.
Speros said Baltimore will go after "seven to 12" free agents, trying to upgrade at receiver and in the interior offensive and defensive lines.
Audibles
Sacramento owner Fred Anderson expects to finalize a deal this week to move his Gold Miners to the 65,000-seat Alamodome in San Antonio. The Las Vegas Posse, meanwhile, appears headed to Jackson, Miss., after Los Angeles interests failed to meet financial stipulations. . . . Expect Memphis to call its team the Mad Dogs. . . . The CFL agreed to a three-year TV contract with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. The package is worth more than $3.5 million, a slight jump from $3.4 million in the last contract. . . . Ottawa coach Adam Rita has been offered the offensive coordinator's job in Memphis under Pepper Rodgers -- with the promise of stepping up to head coach in 1996. But he's on hold, pending the arrival of Ottawa's third owner in three years. . . .
Baltimore halfback Ken Watson wants to play in his hometown of Birmingham but isn't likely to be freed to go. . . . The Shreveport Pirates named longtime college assistant Rusty Russell their defensive coordinator. His father is Erk Russell, who coached Ham at Georgia Southern. . . . Ex-Hamilton coach John Gregory will coach the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena League. . . . Baltimore cornerback Karl Anthony finally received his Dodge Ram 1500 pickup, given to the most outstanding player in the Grey Cup. . . . Former University of Houston coach John Jenkins will make $95,000 with Birmingham this year -- $60,000 as offensive coordinator and $35,000 for administrative duties.