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CFL Voids Contract of Euclid Cummings Over Legal Issue

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Euclid Cummings

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.

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.

BC Lions CFL Free Agency Blog

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CFL Free Agency is underway and we have all the Lions transactions and news here in a chronological timeline.

3DownNation’s Lowell Ullrich with some thoughts on how the Lions might approach free agency:

The BC Lions announced the signing of Quarterback Travis Lulay to a 1-year deal on the eve of free-agency:

Justin Dunk of 3DownNation.com reports that the BC Lions have signed national defensive back Cauchy Muamba:

A deal with defensive back Chandler Fenner won’t be getting done before the deadline, but the door is still open with the Lions according to TSN’s Farhan Lalji:

Winnipeg offensive linemen Travis Bond continues to be linked to BC as a possible destination:

TSN’s Farhan Lalji tweets thee Lions have lost defensive lineman Alex Bazzie to the Edmonton Eskimos:

3DownNation’s Justin Dunk seems to confirm the Bazzie signing in Edmonton, including salary numbers:

The BC Lions have signed free agent offensive lineman Joel Figueroa (EDM):

A little #CFLFA humour from Odell Willis:

BC Lions have signed offensive lineman Jeremy Lewis (I):

BC Lions announce the signing of two UBC Thunderbirds:

According to TSN’s Dave Naylor, the BC Lions have signed DL Euclid Cummings (EDM):

Now confirmed….

Sounds like the Redblacks are about to add Lions free agent DB Louchiez Purifoy:

Annnnnd it’s official. Purifoy to the Redblacks:

Big loss to the Lions secondary as Chandler Fenner signs with the Bombers:

TSN’s Farhan Lalji breaks down of the Euclid Cummings signing by the BC Lions:

After seeing two key members of their secondary bolt for other teams, the BC Lions have signed DB Garry Peters (EDM):

BC Lions add another to the Secondary in AJ Jefferson (TOR):

New addition Gabe Knapton likes the work of his new GM today:

Hervey continues to beef up the offensive line with the signing of of Christopher Greaves (MTL):

Via Lowell Ullrich: Doesn’t sound like Hervey is done yet:

Lions’ Director of Communications, Jamie Cartmell with some sharp wit on the Lions work today:

One more nugget from 3DownNation’s Lowell Ullrich:

And depending on how you keep score, you could say the Lions have secured 10 new faces. Also to be announced is the signing of import wide receiver Ricky Collins, a 25-year-old who has spent time with Saskatchewan and Hamilton, whose contract was agreed upon last week.

Full article here.

The BC Lions have added some national depth at receiver with the signing of former Eskimo Cory Watson:

The BC Lions have announced the signing of defensive back Otha Foster III:

BC Lions officially announce the signing of DB Cauchy Muamba (EDM) also announce the signing of DB Mike Dubuisson (EDM):

BC Lions add depth at their QB position signing Cody Fajardo (TOR):

BC Lions sign last seasons CFL special teams tackles leader, DB Keelan Johnson (OTT):

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

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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.

Key CFL Dates in 2018

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CFL

The CFL has announced some key dates for the 2018 football season.

February 13th – 2018 Free Agency Opens
Teams will be able to sign free agents beginning at noon ET.

March 7th – Eastern Regional Combine in Montreal, Que
The Eastern Regional Combine will take place at Olympic Stadium. The schedule and roster for combine testing will be announced closer to the date.

March 9th – Ontario Regional Combine in Toronto, Ont
The Ontario Regional Combine will take place at the Athletic Centre at the University of Toronto, with on-field components taking place at the University of Toronto bubble. The schedule and roster for combine testing will be announced closer to the date.

March 20th – 22nd – Rules Committee & Competition Committee Meetings
These meetings will be held in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

March 21st – 25th – Mark’s CFL Week in Winnipeg, Man
Media Events at Mark’s CFL Week:

Canadian Football Hall of Fame VIP Reception: March 21
Player arrivals: March 21 & 22
Media Days: March 22 & 23
Football Operations Media Conference: March 23

March 22nd – Western Regional Combine in Winnipeg, Manitoba
The Western Regional Combine will take place at Subway Soccer South. The schedule and roster for combine testing will be announced closer to the date.

March 23rd – 25th – National CFL Combine presented by adidas in Winnipeg, Manitoba
In preparation for the 2018 CFL Draft the league’s general managers, coaches and scouts will be in Winnipeg, MB to evaluate more than fifty of the country’s top football prospects.

The 2018 National CFL Combine presented by adidas will be held at RBC Convention Centre Winnipeg and for on-field drills at the University of Winnipeg. The schedule and roster for combine testing will be announced closer to the date.

April 30th – CFL rosters reduced to 75

May 3rd – CFL Draft

First Round Draft Order:

1. Montreal Alouettes
2. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
3. BC Lions
4. Ottawa REDBLACKS
5. Saskatchewan Roughriders
6. Edmonton Eskimos
7. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
8. Calgary Stampeders
9. Toronto Argonauts
For the entire 2018 CFL Draft order, click here.

May 7th-12th – U SPORTS East/West Bowl
The U SPORTS East/West Bowl will be held in Quebec City, Que.

May 16th – Rookie Camps Open

May 20th – Training Camps Open

May 27th – Preseason Begins

June 9th – Teams must cut down from Training Camp Roster by 10:00 p.m. ET

June 14th – CFL Regular Season Kick Off
Edmonton Eskimos at Winnipeg Blue Bombers 8:30 p.m. ET

October 10th – Trade Deadline at 4:00 p.m. ET

November 11th – Eastern and Western Semi-Final

November 18th – Eastern and Western Final

November 25th – 106th Grey Cup presented by Shaw in Edmonton, Alta.

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

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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 1st.

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.

wallyThe 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 10th. 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 12th.

CaptureBut 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.

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