Lions Notebook Archives | BC Lions Football

CFL Voids Contract of Euclid Cummings Over Legal Issue

March 7, 2018 By Brian Wawryshyn

The Canadian Football League has voided the contract of BC Lions free agent signing Euclid Cummings over unspecified criminal charges the defensive lineman is facing.

Both the CFL and BC Lions football club have made statements regarding the matter.

“Upon learning of the criminal charges facing Euclid Cummings, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie has voided his contract with the BC Lions. As these charges are before the courts, the CFL will offer no further comment.”

And from the Lions, a statement from Ed Hervey:

“We support the Commissioner’s decision to void the contract of Euclid Cummings in light of criminal charges he is currently facing. We were given no indication by the player or his representation that these charges existed and I assure our fans, partners and supporters of the CFL across Canada, that we would not have offered him a contract had we known about this situation. Given that matter is before the criminal courts and under a publication ban, we will not be offering further comment.”

This is a most untimely development for the Lions who signed Cummings in free agency with the intent of bolstering their defensive line. It’s unclear when these charges were made against Cummings, but if he knew about them and withheld them from the team, then it doesn’t look good on him.

It also won’t look good on the Eskimos if they knew about it when they decided to let him walk in free agency, or even before the season ended last year.

Either way it doesn’t look good on the player and his agent at this time. The Lions may have gone in a different direction and perhaps lost out on another player committing funds to Cummings, and are also on the hook for part of his salary and the loss of cap space according to Dan Ralph.

Have been told Cummings’ deal with B.C. was worth $150,000 that included a $70,000 signing bonus which the Lions can’t recoup and will have to include on their cap. #CFL

— Dan Ralph (@danralphcp) March 7, 2018

EDIT: I have been told that the $70,000 bonus paid to Cummings will NOT count towards the Lions cap number. Not confirmed.

More information on the charges Cummings is facing from an incident that occurred in Vancouver while he was with the Bombers.

This seems ridiculous on the surface if the Lions knew nothing about the charges and were not informed by Cummings party.

The legal matter is under a publication ban, so we’ll have to wait and see how his personal situation shakes down.

Travis Lulay Re-signs With Lions on Eve of Free Agency

February 12, 2018 By Brian Wawryshyn

Lions fans got a gift on the eve of CFL free agency with the re-signing of Quarterback Travis Lulay. Reports had the two sides talking about a deal, but the holdup appeared to be on Lulay’s end as he decided whether he wanted to continue to play football.

Lulay wanted to play, he just didn’t know if his knee would be up for it. Obviously he has seen enough progress to commit to another year.

The Lions needed this, and it means they go into the season knowing Lulay will be there as a safety net not only on the field, but as a mentor to Jonathan Jennings.

“We saw last season that, when called upon, he can still be one of the very best quarterbacks in our league. He is a tremendous leader and we are very pleased to have him back in 2018.”, Head coach Wally Buono said in a club release.

Entering Tuesday, the Lions could have as many as 14 players about to testing the waters. Reports have the club working on a deal with only one of those players, defensive back Chandler Fenner.

Some key names from last year’s club are on the list, including Ronnie Yell, Kirby Fabien, Craig Roh, Alex Bazzie, Bryant Turner Jr. and Louchiez Purifoy.

Although not officially announced by the team, 3DownNation.com’s Justin Dunk is reporting that free agent defensive back Cauchy Muamba is returning to the West Coast and has signed with the Lions.

Muamba, originally selected by the Lions in the fifth round, 34th overall by B.C. in 2010, spent three seasons with the Lions before stints in Winnipeg and most recently with the Eskimos.

CFL free-agency begins at 9:00am Pacific tomorrow. We’ll have a wrap of the Lions work later in the day and will be following all the action @BCLionsDen on Twitter.

Another Media Loss For BC Lions Fans

April 21, 2017 By Brian Wawryshyn

Growing up as a young sports fan, there was no internet, no cell phones, many games weren’t even televised. Every morning for years my dad would fetch the Vancouver Sun from our front door, and he would take out the sports section for me. It was a must do ritual, as I couldn’t get enough of the articles about the BC Lions, the Canucks and the Whitecaps.

Sports writers are storytellers and conduits of information for sports fans across the province, and I often dreamed of doing the same for a living one day, though I never followed that dream.

Within the last two years, Vancouver and the province of British Columbia have lost two of the best and two men who provided BC Lions fans with the most reliable, professional and in-depth coverage of the team.

First, it was Lowell Ullrich of The Province, and today Vancouver Sun writer Mike Beamish announced he was retiring after 43 years on the job, many of those covering the Lions. Thankfully others have brought Lowell aboard so we can continue to enjoy his work.

Hired: Nov. 27, 1974. Retired: April 21, 2017. After 5 decades of sports writing, my @VancouverSun career ends. Farewell faithful readers.

— Mike Beamish (@sixbeamers) April 21, 2017

Shoutout to @Sixbeamers at end of #CFHOF career, impossibly difficult to write against for yrs. Sadly, VcrSun Sports demolition all but done

— Lowell Ullrich (@FifthQtr) April 21, 2017

The industry has claimed another victim, but maybe Mike was ready to go anyway. He’s worked hard and has earned a relaxing retirement, but what’s happened in the newspaper industry is a shame. The talented journalists who have brought us up with their stories are being forced out, skeletal staff remain and we the readers are the worse for it.

Social media has created a whole new world of competition for the papers, radio stations and television stations. Everyone has a camera, everyone has access to information as it happens, or thinks they do anyway. What do we need newspapers for?

Well for one, we need the talent that these writers possess. We need the diligence that they do their jobs with to ensure that a story is correct. Journalists are the ones that hold people accountable, and report the news has it should be by getting it right the first time.

I’ve always enjoyed talking about sports and particularly took a liking to the CFL and the BC Lions. Writers like Lowell Ullrich and Mike Beamish were part of that, as I’m sure they have been for many, many others.

I started this blog because of that dream I talked about earlier and because I felt there just wasn’t enough Lions coverage in a Canucks crazy market. I had the pleasure to deal with both Lowell and Mike over the years and they treated me with nothing but respect. They were always accommodating to me as a blogger and a podcaster, even allowing me to bounce a few fact-checking questions of my own off them from time to time.

However the media rebrands and reinvents itself, it’s important that we support it. Journalism is an important part of our society, and we should never, ever let it die. Lions fans have lost two hall of fame worthy writers in the last two years. They won’t be easily replaced.

Lions Notebook: Mini-Camp Begins, Back in Black…or Not?

April 28, 2016 By Brian Wawryshyn

BC Lions mini-camp got under way today at the club’s training facility in Surrey on Thursday signalling the beginning of the end for the long CFL off-season. With the draft just around the corner, the Lions are wrapping up the last of their free agent camps as well, with the last stop in Seattle on Sunday, May 1^st.

Let’s get caught up on recent developments in the CFL, and of course the BC Lions in this edition of the Lions Notebook.

Mini-Camp Begins

Comprised of mainly first and second year players, the BC Lions hit the field in Surrey for OTA’s. With the exception of a few veterans, the club wants to use the two day sessions to evaluate what players will advance to main camp and also to have those players up to speed on the schemes the club wants to deploy. The idea is there would be less teaching at training camp and more working on systems.

Neither of the club’s top two QB’s are involved, and the Lions will try and determine the pecking order of the returning Greg McGhee and freshly signed Keith Price, formerly with Saskatchewan. Cam Tucker has written a good piece on that here.

Some of the more recognizable names on the roster are offensive linemen Hunter Steward and T-Dre Player. Steward is looking to rebound from two injuries in two seasons, both to the same foot. His promise as a player is huge, but he has to stay healthy this year. Player has seen time as a starter and as a backup in his first two seasons with the club, and the Lions would love to see him continue to evolve to provide national depth on the offensive line.

Linebacker Bo Lokombo is also in camp and after making great strides last season, he looks to make an even bigger contribution this year on the Lions defense as part of a linebacker group that includes the hard-hitting Solomon Elimimian and Adam Bighill. Lokombo is joined by free-agent national DB Mike Edem, who is also participating looking to get up to speed with his new club.

Speaking of Elimimian, Buono told reporters that judging by everything he’s seen and has been told, the CFL record holder for tackles in a season has recovered 100% from the ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered last season, which would be a quick recovery. Let’s hope that’s the case and Solly returns to terrorize CFL offences once again.

The first day of mini-camp also marked the official return of Wally Buono to field as head coach once again. Buono called it an ‘exciting’ day and Lowell Ullrich has some thoughts here.

On a negative note there is concern that highly touted off-season signing, running back Mikel Leshoure, was a no-show. No further information was provided by the club.

You can download the full mini-camp roster at BCLions.com.

The Draft

Of course, the Lions are also preparing for the 2016 CFL Canadian College Draft on May 10^th. The Lions hold the third overall pick and Wally Buono has been quoted as saying it’s the deepest draft in recent memory.

Who the Lions will pick is anyone’s guess, and I certainly don’t have an informed opinion on who they should. But my hope is they lock in on a player who can help them right away, preferably on the offensive line, defensive line or receiver positions.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are said to be considering offers for the number one pick, and Buono has moved up in the draft before. But if the draft is deep and with the Lions sitting with a good pick at three, I expect they will let the cards fall where they may and pick the best player left on their draft board.

Following the first round, the Lions will pick fourth in five of the next six rounds (Winnipeg forfeited their first rounder in the supplemental draft last year when they chose Garrett Waggoner) and don’t have a pick on the fifth round.

Back in Black?

Following a teaser video and some still shots that surfaced this week, it appears that the Lions will indeed returning to black as a prominent colour in their new Adidas uniforms. The official unveiling for all teams will be held at an event in Montreal on May 12^th.

But is the uniform black? After further analysis of the video the club released there is an orange tinge on the player’s body as he emerges from the shadows. The shoulders and pants are definitely black and the helmet is believed to be as well.

The suspense is real!

General consensus from those that have seen the new threads is that the Lions have a pretty sharp new look. Shawn Lemon of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who has seen all the new jerseys had this to say about the Lions new look.

“B.C. won. B.C. by far has the best uniforms. They’re slick. They’re nice.”

Here is the teaser video the Lions released, so you can make your own assumptions.

Player Safety

Finally, the CFL announced new initiatives in regards to player safety on Thursday. The league has put more emphasis on the effect of concussions, assigning an ‘injury’ spotter for every league game, continuing to take part in new testing and research and will give players the option of seeing an independent doctor with concussion in cases if they are diagnosed with a concussion.

Player safety, especially surrounding concussions is becoming more and more of an issue, not only in football, but all contact sports. It’s nice to see the CFL taking steps to make sure the game is as safe as possible for its players.