April 7, 2011

Seven of eight teams under salary cap

CFL.ca Staff

TORONTO —  Seven of eight teams were under the Canadian Football League’s $4.25 million salary cap for 2010, the league announced today.

“The final results of a comprehensive audit and review process show a continued high level of compliance with the CFL Salary Management System (SMS),” said Commissioner Mark Cohon.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders exceeded the salary cap by $26,677 and have been fined $26,677.

Under the provisions of the SMS, set by the league’s Board of Governors, teams are fined one dollar for every dollar they exceed the cap up to 100,000 dollars, and two dollars for every dollar they exceed the cap between 100,000 and 300,000 dollars, plus the loss of the team’s first round draft pick. Teams are fined three dollars for every dollar they exceed the cap beyond $300,000 and they lose their first two draft selections.

The salary cap for the upcoming 2011 season has been set at $4.3 million per team.

As no team exceeded the cap in 2010 by more than 100,000 dollars, the order in the May 8th 2011 CFL Canadian Draft is not affected. It remains, for the first round:

1. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
2. Edmonton Eskimos
3. BC Lions
4. Winnipeg Blue Bombers via Toronto
5. Hamilton Tiger-Cats
6. Calgary Stampeders
7. Saskatchewan Roughriders
8. Montreal Alouettes

For the full draft selection order, click here.

“The SMS continues to provide our teams and our league with the governance to be fiscally responsible and allow us to take advantage of the opportunities that naturally follow the momentum we’ve all worked so hard to achieve,” Cohon said.
 
The 2011 CFL season opens with RONA Canada Day Kickoff Weekend when the Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes host the B.C. Lions on Thursday, June 30 at 7:00pm ET on TSN / RDS. Opening weekend continues on Canada Day with a double header as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers play the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Ivor Wynne Stadium at 6:00pm ET (TSN) followed by the Calgary Stampeders hosting the Toronto Argonauts at 9:00pm ET. RONA Canada Day Kickoff Weekend wraps-up with the Edmonton Eskimos playing the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium on Sunday, July 3 at 7:00pm ET (TSN). To view the full 2011 CFL schedule click here.