The Ottawa Redblacks are slated to miss the postseason for a fourth consecutive year, but their latest failure won’t be accompanied by changes at the top of the organization.
Team president Adrian Sciarra joined TSN 1200‘s The Drive on Thursday to discuss what he dubbed to be a “frustrating” season for the organization. However, he reaffirmed his commitment to general manager Shawn Burke, confirming that he would return for a third season at the helm.
“When it comes to the football operations side, I’ve got great confidence in Shawn Burke and ultimately he’s responsible for the football operations and personnel and staffing and all of that,” Sciarra said. “We talk a lot and review and discuss different options and scenarios, and he’ll lead that and lead our team forward in that way.”
Burke was hired in December 2021 after the team parted ways with Marcel Desjardins, becoming the franchise’s second-ever general manager. The 41-year-old arrived in Ottawa after nearly 15 years with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, where he served as senior director of player personnel and co-manager of football operations for the back-to-back Grey Cup runners-up.
The native of Guelph, Ont. was tasked with turning around a 3-11 team that had finished last place in the East Division in consecutive years, but has yet to move the needle. During his two seasons in charge, the Redblacks have gone a combined 8-27.
“I think he would agree with me, we all want more wins and that’s what we all work towards and strive towards, but I have a great working relationship with Shawn,” Sciarra noted. “His commitment is unbelievable, his work ethic and his knowledge of the game. I have a ton of confidence in Shawn and I know nobody wants better results more than he does, and I do, and all our fans do.”
Burke was viewed as a top candidate for the job due to his ability to attract top free agents, most notably franchise quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. While that signing was seen as transformative for a team without a signal caller, the results have been disappointing through no fault of either party.
Masoli has played just five contests for Ottawa over two years, suffering season-ending injuries in both campaigns. The 35-year-old’s future in the CFL is in doubt following a ruptured Achilles tendon that occurred during his 2023 season debut in Week 5.
While the emergence of rookie Dustin Crum can be viewed as a building block going forward, Burke’s work has been difficult to accurately evaluate without his star signee available.
“I know Shawn will never make excuses and I won’t either. But unfortunately, we had some tough breaks, especially early in the year, and the team kept battling,” Sciarra said. “Injuries happen in football, I would have loved to see what Jeremiah could have done in the last two seasons with us, but those are things we need to be able to overcome and still put wins on the board.”
After a 3-11 start to the 2022 season, head coach Paul LaPolice — whose hiring pre-dated Burke’s — was fired. Special teams coordinator Bob Dyce took over as interim head coach and was eventually given the gig full-time, posting a 5-16 record thus far.
Sciarra did not discuss Dyce’s future with the club, noting that all personnel decisions go through Burke. However, he stressed that the CFL’s football operations cap would not play a major role in that conversation.
“It’s something we obviously have to consider. We have to work within our player cap and our non-player cap but at this stage and to date, it hasn’t guided our decisions.”
The Redblacks (4-13) will wrap up their season on Saturday, October 28 when they host the first-place Toronto Argonauts.
