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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.

Crunch Time is Here For BC Lions Free Agents

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With a week to go before CFL Free Agency opens, Wally Buono and the BC Lions still have some work to do. It’s crunch time for both management and players, and there should be more announcements on signings coming in the week leading up to free agency.

Let’s take a look at where the Lions stand at the moment and some of the key names involved.

Signed:

DB Steven Clarke, LB Solomon Elimimian, RB Jeremiah Johnson, LB Nehemie Kankolongo (N), FB Rolly Lumbala (N), WR Nick Moore, DB Keynan Parker (N), G Hunter Steward (N), DL Bryant Turner Jr.

The Lions got things done early with Solomon Elimimian and it’s a good thing they did with the eventual departure of Adam Bighill. The reigning CFL Defensive Player of the Year will be counted on to continue his all-star play as well as mentor the replacement for Bighill.

Offensively the biggest story so far was getting Jeremiah Johnson signed to a new deal assuring the Lions keep at least half of the CFL’s best rushing attack intact. Farhan Lalji announced on Twitter that the Lions will not be bringing back Anthony Allen, so it remains to be seen what they do with their running game, and if they look at deploying an alternating running back system once again.

On the offensive line, the signing of Hunter Steward will ensure the unit of Jovan Olafioye, Kirby Fabien, Cody Husband and Antonio Johnson will have the chance for continuity, at least to start training camp, with Charles Vaillancourt ready to push for a more prominent role as well.

The rest of those signed, are key depth pieces, and some of them will be looking to play even larger roles this season

Unsigned:

DL Mic’hael Brooks, WR Bryan Burnham, WR Marco Iannuzzi (N), DB TJ Lee, K Paul McCallum (N), WR Terrell Sinkfield Jr., DB Ronnie Yell.

Obviously, the biggest name here is Bryan Burnham who has had numerous NFL workouts this off-season but is still without a contract. The Lions recently re-signed Nick Moore who is coming off an knee injury, but would dearly love to have Burnham back after his breakout season made him a fan favourite and one of the most reliable receivers in the league.

Marco Iannuzzi is still unsigned and it’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t want to be back. He’s a reliable receiver that can also return kicks for you. Do the Lions see Stephen Adekolu, Brett Blaszko, or Shag Johnson as players that are ready to take the next step? If so are they willing to let Iannuzzi test the market?

Defensively, the secondary is another key area that needs to be addressed. With Anthony Gaitor released to join Adam Bighill in New Orleans, Ronnie Yell and TJ Lee are pretty important pieces. The issue is that both are coming off pretty serious injuries, and Buono will likely be wary of any huge raises for those players, considering his prudent handling of the same situation with Solomon Elimimian.

That said, the Lions found those players, and they may be confident that can find more if the two sides can’t come to an agreement. Still, a secondary takes some time to gel, and hopefully at least one of the two return.

A tweet by @News1130Sports suggested that the agent for Yell says the two sides are not far apart and his client wants to play in BC, despite some cryptic tweets from Yell early last week.

Farhan Lalji says things aren’t going well on the Yell and Lee front.

News 1130 says there is hope on Yell.

It sounds unlikely that Mic’hael Brooks will be back with the Lions. He is intent on finding work in the NFL and if he doesn’t it sounds like he’s looking for money the Lions might not be willing to pay. The fact is, international defensive lineman are part of a pretty deep talent pool, and the Lions probably feel they can plug that hole and they added some insurance when they re-signed Bryant Turner Junior. Jabar Westerman will be allowed to test the waters of free agency, and will likely get a few offers. Whether this an exercise to determine the value and give the Lions a chance to match remains to be seen. It could also mean a bigger role for David Menard, which would be much deserved.

With Bazzie gone, the Lions have some work to do here, either in free agency, or finding that next Cameron Wake.

Released:

DL Alex Bazzie, DB Anthony Gaitor, P Richie Leone, LB Bo Lokombo (N), LB Adam Bighill (Contract clause).

Retired:

C Tim O’Neill (N)

Will go to free agency:

RB Anthony Allen, DL Jabar Westerman (N)

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