Winnipeg Blue Bombers issue statement regarding Zach Collaros ruling

[Blue In BC]

A suspension is a suspension. I don't care what it's for or why it was given. I'd say a permanent suspension = the contract is voided, but a game suspension doesn't mean a void contract, but that's pure conjecture on my part.

Maybe the Kenny Lawler suspension is what we should expect. Did we pay him? Did it count against the SMS? The same thing should happen with Zach.

He chose to take one game without an appeal, how is that a problem for you? If he had any recourse, he would have taken the 2 games with an appeal.

The suspension was for ignoring the phone calls, text messages, email & voice mail about a drug test for more than 24 hours as required. That's the rule. Them's the breaks. Collaros understands and accepts it. You should too.

It was reported that it was an unknown number that he choose to ignore. We all do that every day. Suspensions are gradient. The more severe the issue the longer the potential suspension.

That's the same as driving over the speed limit. 10 Km's over is not the same as 100KM's over. So no a suspension is not the same at every situation. Some suspensions are 1 game, others are 3 games and in some cases we've seen 6 game suspensions.

So there is no reason for me to accept it. Collaros choose the lesser of 2 evils.

[TBURGESS]

From the Sun:

The league says drug-testers tried to reach Collaros four times, twice by phone, once by text and once by email over a two-hour period.


The 36-year-old, who lives in Ontario, failed to respond within 24 hours. This happened in February.


Under the league's drug policy, players who refuse drug tests are presumed to have failed and get an automatic two-game suspension.
 But Bombers CEO Wade Miller got involved, and after a few months of back-and-forth the league and players union agreed two games was too stiff a penalty in this situation.

From Global:

"You miss a call. I didn't see it in the moment," Collaros told reporters after the first day of rookie camp. "I didn't even realize that it had happened until a week later when the PA (CFLPA) reached out to me and I went back and looked and there was a call there and a text message there as well.

[TBURGESS]

It was reported that it was an unknown number that he choose to ignore. We all do that every day. Suspensions are gradient. The more severe the issue the longer the potential suspension.

That's the same as driving over the speed limit. 10 Km's over is not the same as 100KM's over. So no a suspension is not the same at every situation. Some suspensions are 1 game, others are 3 games and in some cases we've seen 6 game suspensions.

So there is no reason for me to accept it. Collaros choose the lesser of 2 evils.

I ignore unknown numbers, but if I had a drug test policy that required me to respond within 24 hours, I'd check my texts/voice mails once a day to make sure I was in compliance. 

You're arguing around everything except the key point. Did he reply to the drug test request within 24 hours of being contacted (4 times in 2 hours)? The answer is No, and it's an automatic 2 game suspension. We're lucky that Miller got involved and got it cut down to 1 game. 

[Jesse]

The process is ostensibly broken and only further reinforces the CFL's bush league image, IMO.

Jeff Hamilton is speculating that, much like the league suddenly enforcing former draft picks who returned to school as "counters", this is a rule that has been on the books but never applied - now suddenly someone decided to whip it out out of nowhere with no warning.

This would explain why no one recalls this happening to another player before.

[TecnoGenius]

The process is ostensibly broken and only further reinforces the CFL's bush league image, IMO.

If you watch all the pressers, of MOS and Zach, they reference the league admitting the process is broken and that the league has since changed how they will handle this in the future.

MOS said that was the part that irked him the most.  It sounded like under the new policy Zach would not have been suspended.  Go watch the MOS presser.

So Zach will be the last person (and maybe the first, if no one can remember another guy!) to ever be suspended due to "missed phone call" in this manner.

And yes, that makes it all seems stupid and bush league.  If WM gets the league to admit it's an unfair/difficult policy to the extent they ease off 1 of the game suspensions, then they probably could have retroactively changed the policy and given him whatever the new policy prescribes.

[TecnoGenius]

Think of it like a speeding ticket. Missing the speed change sign doesn't mean you don't have to pay the ticket.

No, this is like never having gotten the physical ticket.  (Happened to me once with a parking ticket: I didn't have to pay the full thing.)

[Jesse]

If you watch all the pressers, of MOS and Zach, they reference the league admitting the process is broken and that the league has since changed how they will handle this in the future.

MOS said that was the part that irked him the most.  It sounded like under the new policy Zach would not have been suspended.  Go watch the MOS presser.

So Zach will be the last person (and maybe the first, if no one can remember another guy!) to ever be suspended due to "missed phone call" in this manner.

And yes, that makes it all seems stupid and bush league.  If WM gets the league to admit it's an unfair/difficult policy to the extent they ease off 1 of the game suspensions, then they probably could have retroactively changed the policy and given him whatever the new policy prescribes.

Yup.

I'm not sure how they can agree that the team and agent need to be called to make this fair, but still hold Zach to a non-existent standard.

[Jesse]

No, this is like never having gotten the physical ticket.  (Happened to me once with a parking ticket: I didn't have to pay the full thing.)

It feels more like the city changed the speed limit but never changed the street signs.

So when Zach was driving 60 because the sign said 60, but he got a ticket for the new limit of 50.

[TecnoGenius]

2. What is the gap of time between the day he was contacted to be tested and when he actually got tested?

If I was doing the releases and the answer to number one was yes and number 2 was a very short interval I would have absolutely included it. I see no downsides. If the answer is no and a large gap then as a fan I have additional questions and with a PR hat on I can see why we're taking the suspension.

Yes, there are a lot of unanswered questions, and potential obfuscation occurring.

One of the pressers someone said it was at least a week before Zach found out he missed something.  However, no one has said he went in for any PED test at all.  That's a bit odd.  No one has yet said "ya when I noticed the VM I went into the lab the next day".

The policy may be that if you miss the test you get your suspension(s) and taking a any "make up" test is moot.

And surely the policy must have exceptions for people vacaying in Guam with no lab for 2500 miles.

[TecnoGenius]

Jeff Hamilton is speculating that, much like the league suddenly enforcing former draft picks who returned to school as "counters", this is a rule that has been on the books but never applied - now suddenly someone decided to whip it out out of nowhere with no warning.

This would explain why no one recalls this happening to another player before.

Tinfoil mode: Someone at the league is sick of WPG making the GC and wants to tilt the field.  Considering we often win the west just by 1 (or less!) game(s), causing us to lose game 1 might be enough to let SSK win the W in '25.  And we all know how much home field means in the WDF!  Maybe they want to avoid a situation where it's WDF @PAS and then GC @PAS a week later.

Not saying I believe this, but it would be odd if no player has ever been suspended for failing to respond to an off-season PED test before!

[TBURGESS]

And surely the policy must have exceptions for people vacaying in Guam with no lab for 2500 miles.

And surely that doesn't apply in this situation. 

[dd]

Tinfoil mode: Someone at the league is sick of WPG making the GC and wants to tilt the field.  Considering we often win the west just by 1 (or less!) game(s), causing us to lose game 1 might be enough to let SSK win the W in '25.  And we all know how much home field means in the WDF!  Maybe they want to avoid a situation where it's WDF @PAS and then GC @PAS a week later.

Not saying I believe this, but it would be odd if no player has ever been suspended for failing to respond to an off-season PED test before!

Ya that's major tinfoil mode

The players all know this may happen to them -get randomly called for a PED test, so it's expected you watch your phone or get suspended. Collaros chose to run the risk and was suspended. There's no conspiracy just answer your **** phone!!

[TecnoGenius]

Another question: This has been brewing since Feb, eh?  Yet the first anyone got any wind of it was this past week.  That's a pretty tight ship, by all of Zach, WFC, and CFL.  Should WFC have released some info earlier to get out ahead of it?  Maybe?

Gotta hand it to all 3 parties: that's quite a lot of cogs in the works to not have a beans spill!

[dd]

Another question: This has been brewing since Feb, eh?  Yet the first anyone got any wind of it was this past week.  That's a pretty tight ship, by all of Zach, WFC, and CFL.  Should WFC have released some info earlier to get out ahead of it?  Maybe?

Gotta hand it to all 3 parties: that's quite a lot of cogs in the works to not have a beans spill!

Maybe there was nothing to spill. Maye the league just made the decision now and announced its ruling. But even in the event they all did know, what's there to get ahead of?? Strev is our #2 Qb, if Collaros is suspeneded/out, Strev is in.

[TecnoGenius]

But even in the event they all did know, what's there to get ahead of?? Strev is our #2 Qb, if Collaros is suspeneded/out, Strev is in.

Well, WFC clearly wanted their press release to be the first thing most fans saw, instead of random news site.  That lets them put their own "spin" on it.