In a week the CFL finally had something to feel great about, it already has an issue.
Only weeks after the league promised NFL-style injury reports to support Canada’s new single-game betting legislation — a supposed lucrative new revenue stream for the three-down brand — the B.C. Lions threw us all a curveball Friday night.
Star pivot Mike Reilly was listed as the starting quarterback of the Leos’ first game of the season in Regina and was even announced as the starter by the public address announcer at Mosaic Stadium.
The only problem was that backup Nathan Rourke, and not Reilly, took the field to guide the Lions on their season-opening drive.
Unbeknownst to the rest of us, Reilly had approached his head coach, Rick Campbell, mere
moments before to tell him his arm didn’t feel right and he couldn’t go.
The PA announcer’s confusion was rivalled by not only the rookie quarterback being thrown to the wolves, but also by the hundreds of thousands watching on TSN and, more
importantly, the many bettors around the world who based their cash wagers on the
assumption that it would be Reilly, and not Rourke leading the B.C. offence.
That information might’ve come in handy.
Not surprisingly, B.C.’s offence failed to generate a first down, much less score any points, until late in the second quarter and gave up a pick-six en route to a 31-0 Saskatchewan lead.
So what if the trainers worked on Reilly? He would later come in for the second half and rally the Lions to outscore the Riders 20-1 and lose by only four points, enough to cover the spread for B.C. The Roughriders were favoured by seven by most oddsmakers prior to kickoff before ultimately falling short of covering the spread, but won the game 33-29.
Those who bet on B.C. straight up, in part due to the odds being more in their favour, would have done so on the assumption Reilly was to start the game and he didn’t. They were misled, albeit unintentionally. The showdown at the Mosaic Corral of Jason Maas’ star students, Reilly vs. Cody Fajardo, didn’t materialize.
It’s a clumsy start with the betting community being encouraged to embrace the CFL’s embrace of them.
Saskatchewan Roughriders’ head coach Craig Dickenson admitted he too didn’t learn about Reilly not starting until the first play of the game. He didn’t speculate over why Reilly was declared the starter and then didn’t start other than to say, “He must be hurt. I know Michael and if he’s not playing, he’s hurt or in serious pain.”
But coach Dickenson says his understanding through Riders’ GM Jeremy O’Day is that the rosters have to be correct.
“We have to be accurate in our injury report and we have to be accurate on our depth chart,” Dickenson said following Friday night’s game.
“I don’t know what happened over there or why he was listed as number one. He obviously wasn’t ready to go and I’m sure the league will visit with B.C. and that’s not our concern. We’re happy we came out with a win and hopefully Michael’s not hurt for long. Hopefully he gets back out there.”
It remains to be seen how the league office reacts to this situation or if it will accept Campbell and Reilly’s version of events. It might be enough to avoid any discipline from being handed down to the Lions over non-compliance with their injury report regarding Reilly.
This wild, exciting new world of gambling could still prove to be a jackpot for the Canadian
Football League but if Friday night’s hiccup is any indication, the league is still a long way away from proving itself with big money bettors.
