Bob Irving hopes CFL owners and presidents are not ‘drinking the XFL Kool-Aid’

Screenshot courtesy: CJOB

Bob Irving has lots of trepidation about a potential CFL partnership with the XFL.

The 71-year-old longtime voice of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on 680 CJOB radio — more affectionately known as ‘Knuckles’ — doesn’t want the three-down league selling out its storied history and traditions to Americans.

I hope those drinking the Rock/XFL kool-aid don’t include the CFL owners/presidents/board chairs who might want to take a step back and consider seriously whether they’re going down a rabbit hole from which there is no return, Irving tweeted. 

Led by commissioner Randy Ambrosie, CFL and XFL owners Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and RedBird Capital have agreed to work together to identify opportunities for the leagues to collaborate, innovate, and grow the game of football.

The Rock and his partners were selected as the winning bidder last August for all of the assets of Alpha Entertainment LLC, the parent company of the XFL. It cost $15 million and the goal is to make the XFL a stable league in the future, uniting with Johnson’s old league might help achieve his goal.

The Grey Cup has been awarded for over 100 years. Meanwhile, the original XFL lasted one full season in 2001 and five games in 2020. With the CFL and XFL openly talking about collaboration, many believe a full merger is in the works.