CFL head of football operations Greg Dick believes drop dead date for season in 2020 is August

Photo courtesy: Gilson Junio

CFL chief financial officer and head of football operations Greg Dick believes a decision on playing in 2020 needs to be made in August otherwise there might not be enough runway for games.

Commissioner Randy Ambrosie stated the earliest the CFL might return to play – for a shortened but meaningful season – is September due to COVID-19.

“If we want to start in September and we want to have a Grey Cup in early December or mid-December, we’re probably we’ve got a few dates. Things are fluid, but it’s going to be in August at some time,” Dick said on The Waggle podcast.

“You have to activate with enough time and you have to work to give the players enough notice and enough time. It’s probably in August. You have to activate in August, where you have to make the decision to go so you can have a training camp.”

The final decisions whether games are played will depend on what the Canadian governments and medical officials deem best for the safety of citizens and athletes across the country. Players, teams, front offices and coaching staffs need to prepare for a target date and it appears August will provide the drop dead time.

“When you start to do the work-back schedule of when you’d start training camp and when you have to self-isolate in the location that they have to go to,” Dick said, “that’s why August is likely the month.”