Earlier this week, the CFL released the official results of its 2009 Salary Management System audit. Only one club, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, violated the league’s $4.2-million expenditure limit.
According to the CFL’s figures, the Bombers exceeded the cap by $44,687. Under the terms of the SMS, the team now has to pay a dollar-for-dollar fine for that amount by way of penalty for spending beyond the limit.
Considering the amount of change ushered in during Mike Kelly’s reign in Winnipeg, especially in terms of player turnover, it’s hardly shocking that the Bombers overspent in 2009.
Granted, some of the blame rests at the feet of the club’s previous management for paying hefty off-season bonuses to players like OT Dan Goodspeed, who wound up being traded. But there’s still plenty of blame left to spread around.
Whether it’s paying out a $40,000 bonus to RB Joe Smith and then cutting him, ponying up big money to Derick Armstrong and then running the all-star off after one game, or bringing in hired gun Michael Bishop to make a bad QB situation less bad, Mike Kelly managed Big Blue’s 2009 roster a lot like he managed the media. And that ain’t good.
Photo by Mats G., on Flickr
To state the fact of the matter, things could’ve been a lot worse in the Peg.
Add the classless $60,000 pay cut they forced on Kelly’s hand-picked pivot, Stefan LeFors, and the tens of thousands of dollars saved by stashing players like Kelly Bates, Arjei Franklin, and even Barrin Simpson (for a short while) on the nine-game injury list, and the Bombers would have been looking at draft sanctions and a doubled fine right about now.
Couple this latest SMS black eye with the reported $1.2-million losses the Blue Bombers experienced last year, and 2009 has to go down as “the year that just keeps taking” for Bombers fans.
To look on the bright side, though, no matter how you take it, this latest bit of bad news definitely puts a cap on the 2009 season in Bomberville.
There’s a new sheriff in town in Paul LaPolice, a new management team in the front office, plans for a new state of the art stadium, a new set of QBs to right the wrongs of last year (maybe even one named Pierce!), and plenty of renewed hope for 2010.
Seven of eight teams, including the BC Lions, were under the Canadian Football League’s $4.2 million salary cap for 2009, the league announced Tuesday.
“The final results of a comprehensive audit and review process show a high level of compliance with the Salary Management System (SMS),” said Commissioner Mark Cohon. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers exceeded the salary cap by $44,687 and have been fined $44,687.
Under the provisions of the SMS, set by the league’s Board of Governors, teams are fined one dollar for every dollar they exceed the cap up to 100,000 dollars, and two dollars for every dollar they exceed the cap between 100,000 and 300,000 dollars, plus the loss of the team’s first-round draft pick. Teams are fined three dollars for every dollar they exceed the cap beyond $300,000 and they lose their first two draft selections.
Because no team exceeded the cap in 2009 by more than 100,000 dollars, the order in the May 2 2010 CFL Canadian Draft will not be affected.
“All of us in the Canadian Football League are confident about the future, but we recognize that we need to be prudent if we are to overcome the challenges, and seize the opportunities, before us,” Cohon said. “With seven of eight teams under the 2009 cap, and the Bombers working diligently over the course of last season to reduce their potential overrun, it’s clear our teams recognize this need.”
