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You are here: Home / Archives for Mark Cohon

Braley And The Argonauts :: Have Your Say!

February 9, 2010 By Brian Wawryshyn

David BraleyWell it’s official. The BC Lions and the Toronto Argonauts are now owned by David Braley. In a statement issued by the league, commissioner Mark Cohon tries to ease concerns about an owner owning two CFL franchises.

“Even now, when Canada is slowly emerging from a deep recession, and the vast majority of businesses and entrepreneurs are solidifying their holdings as opposed to pursuing new ventures, we sought and received strong expressions of interest in the Argonauts from a number of other sources,” Cohon said.

“But in the end, this was the best option for the future of the Argonauts and the health of the Canadian Football League. As stewards of our league, and all the CFL has come to mean to so many Canadians, our Board of Governors took into account three important factors,” he said.

“The first was the quality of ownership in our league. We are unanimous in the belief we would much rather have an exemplary person with considerable financial resources and an undeniable love for our league sit atop two franchises than have any one of our franchises owned by someone of uncertain means or questionable character, or someone lacking in a real, long term commitment to what’s best for the CFL and its fans,” Cohon said.

“The second factor was the integrity of our game. We understand there are those who will now view every interaction between the Lions and the Argos with extreme scrutiny. I can assure them their vigilance will be nothing compared to the way I and my colleagues in the league office will monitor every transaction and every game involving these two teams, reserving every step of the way our right to veto any trade or punish any initiative that fails to clearly meet the highest standards of competitiveness,” he said.

“But we are confident moving forward most of all because of the third factor we took into account and that is the character of Mr. Braley himself. No one in today’s Canadian Football League, and perhaps no one in the history of the CFL, has devoted more of his time, energy and resources to our league than Mr. Braley. And I believe it is equally fair to say that few people have demonstrated a deeper commitment to the integrity of the game and the league than Mr. Braley, and the football people he has chosen to surround himself with over the years, including current Lions Head Coach and General Manager Wally Buono and the late Bobby Ackles, who served as the Lions President. No one wants to win more than Mr. Braley and his personnel but they strive to win fairly and squarely, in the best tradition of our league.”

As a fan of the BC Lions, I am hoping everything the commissioner says is true. I am a huge David Braley fan, and yes I think he’ll do everything above board and make sure there are no conflicts. But what happens if a Lion is a free agent and ends up in Toronto, or vice-versa? What happens if Wally Buono isn’t extended in BC, then magically appears in the Hog Town? There will be a lot of question thrown out there if those situations start to occur. Frankly I don’t think the league needs any of that scrutiny either. Perception can be very damaging from a marketing standpoint.

David Braley saved the BC Lions, and I hope he has success in doing the same in Toronto, but as a fan I want an owner who is 100% committed to the BC Lions. It’s for that reason, I now hope that local ownership can be found for the Lions. The team is prosperous, and in two years will have a fancy new retractable roof to market. They are competitive each year, and have stable football people in place. These are all attractive features for a potential buyer.

Congratulations to Mr. Braley, and to the fans of the Argos, you’ve got a good man in charge. But like the commissioner, Lions fans will be watching every move from here on out with keen interest.

What is your opinion on David Braley owning two CFL teams? We’d like to hear from you, so leave a comment below.

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Filed Under: Featured, News Tagged With: David Braley, Mark Cohon, Toronto Argonauts

Grey Cup 2009 – Day Two – State Of The League, Tweetup, Lions Den!

November 28, 2009 By Brian Wawryshyn

I am happy to report I am feeling much better than this time yesterday. I am not sure if that’s a good thing party wise, or if yesterday I was just too busy to get into too much trouble!

gc09_day2_sol007 Friday was a busy day, starting with the first ever State Of The League address for the fans. This was an outstanding and ground breaking initiative by the league that had Commissioner Mark Cohon address fans on the state of the CFL in 2009 and field questions from them as well. The one hour event was emceed by Dave Randorf of TSN. Two hundred fans, invited by the league attended and posed some great questions for the commissioner. There were two great video presentations as well. One featuring the best highlights of 2009 and one celebrating the great history of the CFL and Grey Cup week in Canada, that choked a few people up in the crowd. If the event had a fault, it was two short at one hour, but I am sure Mark Cohon is a busy man, and the chance to hear him speak and to ask questions of him was a much appreciated one and from the sounds of it, this will be annual event at Grey Cups going forward. I just have to say, that as far as I am concerned, Mark Cohon is the best commissioner this league has ever had, and his innovative thinking is very refreshing.

stein_tweetupFollowing the event, and a bit to eat it was off to the first ever Grey Cup Tweetup, hosted by Jaime Stein (@jaimestein)of the CFL. Twitter folks like my self gathered at the Unicorn Pub and were treated to appetizers by the league as we put faces to the names of the people we follow, and that follow us on Twitter, which has become one of the most valuable social media tools on the internet. It was great to meet people such as @inthetunnel, @argobeth, @cfl_fan, @ridleyscouting and others. Tad Kornegay (@T2Dak) and Nik Lewis (@nikel18) who had a little “feud” on Twitter also stopped by and had some fun with all the Tweeps. Mark Cohon also attended and you can follow the commissioner on Twitter @canadiancommish.

gc09_day2_Lions_16 After the tweetup, it was off to the Palomino Smokehouse, and the Lions Den party. When we arrived the place was packed. Lots of Lions fans were in attendance, as well as fans from all teams. Owner David Braley, coach Wally Buono, Lui Passaglia and Jamie Taras were there, and downstairs the popular Grey Cup band Two For The Show were keeping the dance floor full. This event is getting more popular year after year, and for that reason the team has decided to hold it over two nights this year. Admission is a reasonable $10.00, and you get a lanyard and a nice pin as well. I would like to see this party grow to the point where it could be hosted in a hotel ball room, as it was in Winnipeg in 2006. It’s always a fun time to get together with so many other Lions fans who come to Grey Cups. It’s like partying with your family! Special thanks to the Lions, and to Jacqueline Blackwell for granting me access to this event!

I ended the night at the Spirit of Edmonton as usual. The room was packed, and at one point the they had to stop letting people in. Legendary Canadian rockers Chilliwack took the stage and belted out hit after hit much to the delight of those in the crowd. I highly recommend that if you’re planning to attend the Spirit party Saturday night, you get there early.

My dogs were barking pretty loudly at me by the end of the night, so I retired for the evening. Today is another busy day, with much to see and do, starting with the Grey Cup parade.

Until the next blog, enjoy some of the sights from yesterday in today’s photo galleries! Adios CFL fans!

State Of The League Address

Lions Den Party

 

Filed Under: Featured, Grey Cup 2009 Tagged With: CFL, Grey Cup 2009, Lions Den, Mark Cohon, Spirit of Edmonton, State of the League, Tweetup

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