Bombers Can't Bring QBs To Off-Season Camp: CFL

21/03/2009 04:44

WINNIPEG - New Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike Kelly has had his knuckles rapped by the CFL for a planned get-together with his trio of quarterbacks.

Stefan LeFors, Ryan Dinwiddie and Bryan Randall were set to attend one of the teams U.S. free-agent camps next month, but the league contacted the club to remind it that the collective bargaining agreement doesn't allow CFL players under contract to take part in any off-season workouts.

That was news to Kelly.

"I was always under the impression that three veterans were allowed to be at an off-season workout," he said this week from his Philadelphia home. "I'm extremely disappointed. I think this affects the product that can be put on the field all across the CFL by not allowing this type of activity."

The Bombers are holding four camps beginning this weekend in Long Beach, Calif. They also have camps planned for San Diego, Monroe, La., and Deland, Fla.

Dinwiddie, Randall and LeFors had voluntarily agreed to throw the ball to hopefuls at the final Florida camp next month.

"I wanted to have all of our three quarterbacks there to get a jump-start on learning our terminology and our schemes and see how they operate and be able to work with them one-on-one," Kelly said. "I think its a huge injustice to the quality of play that could be in the CFL by not allowing veterans to voluntarily come to these types of workouts."

He plans to bring up the issue when the CFL Players Association and the league negotiate a new contract. The current deal expires in May 2010.

The NFL allows a certain number of off-season workouts, he noted.

"I would like to see that every team is allowed one voluntary, organized team activity between January and June, and if you are a new head coach you get two," said Kelly, who coached Edmonton's receivers last year and was Winnipeg's offensive co-ordinator from 1992-96. "(A new coach), you're putting in a whole new system, it's a whole new coaching staff.

"You want to meet your players, you want to see how they assimilate the information, you want to get a better feel for some of these guys rather than just seeing them on film or having played against them."

Players under contract to a CFL team can't report to off-season workouts prior to the start of training camp, which is June 7 this year. Punishment is at the commissioner's discretion and could include fines.

"Reported incidents are investigated by the CFL and handled internally," said a league spokesperson. "They remain confidential between the league, the CFLPA and its clubs."

Kelly mentioned his quarterback get-together in a media story last week.

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SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:

I really don’t like much of anything I’ve seen or heard from Mike Kelly since he became the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Seems that Kelly is the kind of ‘jerk’ who believes that rules were made for everybody except him. You know the kind of guy, don’t you, folks? The guy that’s going to do everything his way – and the heck with what anyone else thinks. The “my way or the highway” kind of guy. You didn’t know about the rule? C’mon, Mike, the playing stupid routine doesn’t look good on you!