Canadian Football League commissioner Stewart Johnston announced sweeping rule changes on Monday to be deployed over the next two seasons.
Reaction around the game has been mixed, but Toronto Argonauts quarterback Nick Arbuckle told reporters on Tuesday he firmly supports the upcoming changes.
“Amazing, you know,” Arbuckle said. “I think it’s so great and refreshing that, regardless of what the rule changes [are] ... the idea that the new commissioner, the board of Governors and people running the league are willing to go out on a pedestal and make drastic changes to the game [with the intent of] growing the game.”
Among the rule changes announced by Johnston were modifications to the playing field, changes to the play clock and some adjustments to the rouge rule.
Arbuckle, a 31-year-old native of Camarillo, Calif., has spent the past eight years in the CFL after playing college football at Georgia State, with stops in Calgary, Ottawa and Edmonton.
Some of the negative pushback to the rule changes centre on a fear that the game is becoming less Canadian and more similar to the football played in the NFL. Arbuckle doesn’t view it that way.
“When it comes to cultural and Canadian uniqueness and things like that ... I’ve been coaching and training players and kids [of all ages in Canada], my kids were born in this country. I think the most unique thing about Canadian football is that we have football being played in Canada,” Arbuckle said. “I think that’s what makes it Canadian.”
BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke spoke strongly about his negative feelings towards the rules during a media availability on Monday, calling the changes “garbage” and saying the upcoming changes will strip away the uniqueness of the CFL.
“I went down and played in the NFL, and I came back knowing that this is the game for me, because of the uniqueness of it, what’s special about it, and we’re getting away from that,” Rourke said. “That, frankly, makes me pretty pissed off.”
Arbuckle took a different stance on the rule changes and the idea of a ‘Canadian football identity.’
“All these people from Quebec ... that’s still Canadian football, doesn’t matter how many downs you’re playing,” Arbuckle said. “If you’re a kid growing up in Ontario, you’re playing four-down football until you get to U6. So the rules that these kids are growing up playing in the grassroots of football and different provinces, how things change doesn’t matter. It doesn’t make those kids or those people from different provinces less Canadian or playing a lesser random football just because there are rules that don’t match what the CFL does.”
TSN’s Matthew Scianitti asked Arbuckle whether his comments were a direct response to what Rourke had said earlier on Monday.
“Yeah I saw his comments,” Arbuckle said. “Everybody is free to have whatever comments and opinions they feel. I’m not [saying what I’m saying] due to media pressure or anything like that. I had these feelings as soon as I saw.
“Everybody has wish lists when they’re involved in an organization of ‘I think this would be cool’ or ‘I think this would make it better,’” Arbuckle said. “At the end of the day, it’s just the idea of being open to change. I think when you’re in industry, you have to be at the forefront of change in order to keep that business growing and thriving, because generations change.”
Johnston was named commissioner of the CFL on April 2, and the package of changes was approved unanimously by the CFL’s Lead Governors, which includes team owners and chairpersons.
“I commend the board of governors for its unwavering commitment to a culture of constant improvement,” Johnston said. “Our governors do not take change lightly because they know how much the CFL, and the Canadian icon that is the Grey Cup, mean to generations of Canadians.
“These changes are about improving something that is already great. They are rooted in data and analytics; they have been thoughtfully and carefully considered. But they are big and bold because that’s what’s necessary to make our fantastic game even more entertaining, and to win in the attention economy.”
Arbuckle is encouraged by the changes and hopes that the improvements will allow the CFL to stay in the forefront for years to come.
“As long as you’re willing to continue to do whatever you think is necessary as a business to grow and adapt to the new world ... I think [that’s a really good sign] for the CFL moving forward and still being here as something I can enjoy when I’m much older.
Arbuckle’s Argonauts take on Rourke’s Lions on Friday as they attempt to keep their fading playoff hopes alive. You can watch that game LIVE on TSN1/4, TSN.ca and the TSN App, with coverage starting at 10p.m. ET / 7p.m. PT.
