Nobody likes a cheater.
Almost nothing rankles sports fans quite like the idea that someone is gaming the system or circumventing the rulebook to gain a personal advantage. Even perceived ethical missteps can prompt a rabid outcry from the public or accusations of conspiracy.
In the CFL, the league’s salary expenditure cap is an easy target for such protests. With player contract information never made public, speculation can run rampant over which teams might be overspending, usually accompanied by an inference of favouritism by the commissioner’s office.
Generally, it seems like the Toronto Argonauts are in the crosshairs of these allegations, but there is a new target in 2024. After the high-priced mid-season acquisitions of Nathan Rourke and Mathieu Betts, the B.C. Lions have become the villains of the three-down league. In the middle of a five-game losing skid and staring down a chance at a home Grey Cup, the allegation from opposing fan bases is that owner Amar Doman is willing to spend whatever it takes to secure victories — salary cap be damned.
For the first time ever on this topic, fans are probably right.
It’s important to note that teams only have to be cap-compliant by the end of the season and a couple of key injuries can quickly swing the balance sheet back into the black. B.C. also trimmed a lot of fat this offseason and has both Keon Hatcher and T.J. Lee on discount deals as they return from torn Achilles. However, by all accounts, the Lions were up against the financial ceiling prior to these latest deals and the lack of off-the-cap marketing money in Betts’ contract suggests they will likely be going over the allotted $5.525 million for this year.
You can almost feel the national outrage bubbling at that suggestion, but this isn’t evidence of dirty dealings or moral bankruptcy from the West Coast franchise. It is an example of aggressive roster management and should provide a blueprint for others to follow — if they are willing to spend the money needed to win.
The CFL has a soft cap and going over it does not disqualify you from competition or erase your results. There are consequences for excessive spending but these are merely a luxury tax — one which teams pay all the time. In 2023, three went over the salary cap by less than $100,000 and paid dollar-for-dollar fines for their actions: the Lions ($85,979), Blue Bombers ($25,947), and Tiger-Cats ($2,654). In 2022, the number of franchises over-spending was four: Winnipeg ($64,499), Toronto ($49,735), Ottawa ($11,994), and Montreal ($794).
Once you go over the $100,000 mark, the fines stiffen to a penalty of double the amount you exceeded up to $300,000 and triple for anything over that amount. That’s a significant cost for a CFL owner but it is the potential loss of draft picks that discourages most from pushing the financial limit, as Montreal experienced in 2007. You can wave goodbye to your next first-round pick once you overspend in the six-figure range and your next second-round pick will follow it out the door at more than $300,000.
As TSN’s Farhan Lalji was the first to point out, losing either of those picks wouldn’t really matter to the Lions. When Vernon Adams Jr. is presumably traded this offseason, he will almost certainly recoup the franchise a first-rounder and more. The team is also virtually guaranteed to receive a bonus second-round pick by virtue of having the league’s highest Canadian snap count — a number that will only increase thanks to Rourke and Betts.
In all likelihood, B.C. will exceed the cap by less than people expect but the reality is that an unprecedented violation would still result in them having a full eight draft selections with a pick in every round. Two fewer players would be picked overall but the Lions would be unscathed. The only meaningful punishment would be a financial one and Doman will be less concerned about that if he can stack the revenue from a home playoff game on top of the guaranteed Grey Cup boost to his bottom line.
To be clear, this is all being done in adherence with the rules that the CFL themselves have laid out. If you are willing to absorb the punishments, there is nothing stopping any franchise from spending what they like on players. Are the Lions exploiting a loophole? Maybe, but they are able to do so because of invested ownership, QB depth, and prior acquisition of quality Canadian talent — things that all good CFL franchises should strive for.
There is plenty wrong with the way this year’s B.C. team is constructed and it is being exposed during their losing skid. However, the way that the front office has managed these latest acquisitions has been a masterclass on aggressive team-building. If it works, any team bold enough to prioritize winning would be wise to copy their model when the opportunity presents itself.
As the old saying goes: if you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying. There are a lot of CFL teams that could benefit from trying a little harder.
J.C. Abbott is a University of British Columbia graduate and high school football coach. He covers the CFL, B.C. Lions, CFL Draft and the three-down league's Global initiative.
