February 11, 2014

CFL fines Arland Bruce and Bryant Turner

CFL.ca

CFL.ca Staff

TORONTO — The Canadian Football League announced today that it has fined Montreal Alouettes slotback Arland Bruce III and Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive tackle Bryant Turner for making inappropriate comments on social media towards openly gay professional athletes.

“The comments made by these players are extremely disappointing and do not represent the CFL’s views or the views of the vast majority of our players,” said CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon. “The CFL is supportive of openly gay athletes in professional sports and we commend the courage shown by Michael Sam. During the off-season, we have been working with an organization that specializes in this subject and look forward to announcing a formal partnership with them in the near future.”

As per league policy, the amounts of the fines were not disclosed.

The Montreal Alouettes unequivocally denounced the regrettable comments made by Arland Bruce III. The statements and feelings expressed by Bruce III are disappointing and do not reflect the opinions and values of the Montreal Alouettes Football Club.
 
“Our organization supports all types of diversity. Every individual is unique and free to make his or her own choices. We evaluate players, coaches and support staff based on their skill set and not by gender, colour, religion or sexual orientation. The Montreal Alouettes have a simple criteria to determine who can be a member of our organization. We seek individuals who will make a positive contribution to our team goals and to the Montreal community,” said Alouettes General Manager and Head Coach Jim Popp.