CFL SMS Cap/ 7 of 8 Teams Under

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Rammer
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Riders The Only Team Over Salary Cap ($17,975 over)

http://www.cfl.ca/article/7-of-8-tea...the-salary-cap

CFL.ca Staff

TORONTO –- An extensive audit process has confirmed seven of eight teams were under the Canadian Football League’s salary cap, the CFL announced today.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders were the only team to exceed the cap. Their total salary expenditure of $4,417,975 was $17,975 over the salary cap of $4,400,000. They will be penalized one dollar for each dollar they were over the cap for a total fine of $17,975.

“The salary cap system was brought into the CFL to provide competitive balance and business prudence,” said CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon. “And the fact that seven of eight teams were under the cap continues to illustrate that our teams believe in this system, work within it, and understand that for the continued growth of our league, we have to remain fiscally responsible.”

The salary cap management system was introduced in 2007.

The system’s review process includes detailed field audits of all eight clubs twice per year, once during the CFL season and once following its completion. Teams are also required to provide regular updates on compensation levels at the 6-game, 12-game and 18-game point of the season.

Under the provisions set by the league’s Board of Governors, teams are fined one dollar for every dollar they exceed the cap up to $100,000, and two dollars for every dollar they exceed the cap between $100,000 and $300,000, 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.

As no team exceeded the cap by more than $100,000 in 2013, the order for the CFL Draft on May 13 is not affected. It remains (barring trade) for the first round:

1 Ottawa REDBLACKS
2 Winnipeg Blue Bombers
3 Edmonton Eskimos
4 Montreal Alouettes
5 BC Lions
6 Toronto Argonauts
7 Calgary Stampeders
8 Saskatchewan Roughriders via HAM
9 Hamilton Tiger-Cats via SSK
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South Pender
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Interesting, Rammer. I'm sure that the Roughriders will gladly pay the $17,975 given the results they got partly by going over the cap! That seems like a pretty paltry penalty, but, then again, $17K over the cap isn't really that much. I gather that the penalties escalate as a function of how far over the cap a team is.
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I am shocked that it was the Riders :shock: :shock:
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Rammer
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South Pender wrote:Interesting, Rammer. I'm sure that the Roughriders will gladly pay the $17,975 given the results they got partly by going over the cap! That seems like a pretty paltry penalty, but, then again, $17K over the cap isn't really that much. I gather that the penalties escalate as a function of how far over the cap a team is.
Lots of fans are going to suggest that the Riders are cheating, when in reality, they played within the SMS rules. Since it isn't a hard cap and penalties rise with the amount that you go over, all you have to do is pay the extra penalty. Much like the soft cap in MLB allows the Yankees to triple the salary cap. If you are hosting the GC, you should be taking advantage of the cap space allowing you to spend up to $100K over and pay a dollar to dollar amount for that. In reality this isn't much of a penalty, but then again it isn't much of an amount over either.
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Rammer wrote:
South Pender wrote:Interesting, Rammer. I'm sure that the Roughriders will gladly pay the $17,975 given the results they got partly by going over the cap! That seems like a pretty paltry penalty, but, then again, $17K over the cap isn't really that much. I gather that the penalties escalate as a function of how far over the cap a team is.
Lots of fans are going to suggest that the Riders are cheating, when in reality, they played within the SMS rules. Since it isn't a hard cap and penalties rise with the amount that you go over, all you have to do is pay the extra penalty. Much like the soft cap in MLB allows the Yankees to triple the salary cap. If you are hosting the GC, you should be taking advantage of the cap space allowing you to spend up to $100K over and pay a dollar to dollar amount for that. In reality this isn't much of a penalty, but then again it isn't much of an amount over either.
si
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cromartie
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TheLionKing wrote:I am shocked that it was the Riders :shock: :shock:
Do you remember back when Rider fan used to whine and cry about how every team made more money than poor old them, then, when they were caught going over the cap, they justified by saying "well, everyone else is doing it."

Same old crap.
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Rammer
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cromartie wrote:
TheLionKing wrote:I am shocked that it was the Riders :shock: :shock:
Do you remember back when Rider fan used to whine and cry about how every team made more money than poor old them, then, when they were caught going over the cap, they justified by saying "well, everyone else is doing it."

Same old crap.
I wish that the Lions would exploit the SMS to the point that they could, over the Cap level by $99K and have an extended coaching staff that isn't counted against the Cap. It only makes sense to be a step ahead of your competition, because if you aren't cheating, you're not trying hard enough to win.
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KnowItAll
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Rammer wrote:,,, because if you are cheating, you're not trying hard enough to win.
I like the way you put it best :wink:
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notahomer
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TheLionKing wrote:I am shocked that it was the Riders :shock: :shock:

I'm surprised it wasn't more money...... :shock:
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notahomer wrote:
TheLionKing wrote:I am shocked that it was the Riders :shock: :shock:

I'm surprised it wasn't more money...... :shock:
Creative accounting
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The Riders' mathematical deficiencies have been well documented since at least 2009.
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
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So, what is that now, 3 times that they have failed to adhere to the cap soft or otherwise. And now there is a team that has done it and which has now been rewarded with a Grey Cup. Given all the money that the Riders reportedly spent last year in order to enhance their chances for the big game, do any of us really believe that it was only $17000.00 over the cap? I think the words "creative accounting" are very apt. However, suspicion is not proof and the league seems unwilling to harden the penalties for teams that repeatedly offend. With a free spending fan base like no other, does this not create conditions that give this team an advantage owing to their ability to pay any fine they are likely to incur without giving it a second thought? What kind of blueprint for success have they drawn up for other teams? "If you are hosting, spend whatever you need to get to the game because you will make it up with all the extra revenue generated!". It is BS. 6 of 8 teams have managed to stay under the cap for all the years that it has been in place. One team slipped once (Montreal) and one team has now done this on multiple occasions. I find the concept that a team can repeatedly engage in a behaviour that is against the spirit of the rules and yet get rewarded repugnant. That this same team has cried about unfair advantages for others and that it's fan base has been more than vocal in calling other teams cheaters (read pumped in crowd noise) without a shred of evidence is galling. What is it with Sask? Are they too stupid to manage to stay under the cap or just so intent on trying to be winners that they have eschewed the concept of fair play? Shame on them and shame on the league for failing to step in and say enough is enough. I would like to suggest that any team that violates the cap and goes on to win the GC should have the title vacated. An alternative would be for the offending team to pay each other team the amount that they exceeded the cap. Some of the more cash strapped teams would appreciate the funds.
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Rammer
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Sir Purrcival wrote:So, what is that now, 3 times that they have failed to adhere to the cap soft or otherwise. And now there is a team that has done it and which has now been rewarded with a Grey Cup. Given all the money that the Riders reportedly spent last year in order to enhance their chances for the big game, do any of us really believe that it was only $17000.00 over the cap? I think the words "creative accounting" are very apt. However, suspicion is not proof and the league seems unwilling to harden the penalties for teams that repeatedly offend. With a free spending fan base like no other, does this not create conditions that give this team an advantage owing to their ability to pay any fine they are likely to incur without giving it a second thought? What kind of blueprint for success have they drawn up for other teams? "If you are hosting, spend whatever you need to get to the game because you will make it up with all the extra revenue generated!". It is BS. 6 of 8 teams have managed to stay under the cap for all the years that it has been in place. One team slipped once (Montreal) and one team has now done this on multiple occasions. I find the concept that a team can repeatedly engage in a behaviour that is against the spirit of the rules and yet get rewarded repugnant. That this same team has cried about unfair advantages for others and that it's fan base has been more than vocal in calling other teams cheaters (read pumped in crowd noise) without a shred of evidence is galling. What is it with Sask? Are they too stupid to manage to stay under the cap or just so intent on trying to be winners that they have eschewed the concept of fair play? Shame on them and shame on the league for failing to step in and say enough is enough. I would like to suggest that any team that violates the cap and goes on to win the GC should have the title vacated. An alternative would be for the offending team to pay each other team the amount that they exceeded the cap. Some of the more cash strapped teams would appreciate the funds.
While it would be nice to have all the teams meet your standards, this isn't really about the Riders persay. IMO, it has to do with the league rules, and since the SMS was drawn up to allow teams to go over the cap by however much they want, as long as they pay out the penalty imposed, what the Riders did and have done in the past is acceptable practice. I am not sure why other teams aren't doing it to an even greater degree. Take the viewpoint of being over $299K, that amount would buy you a couple of top end NI players, which would cost you an additional $598K of course and a loss of a first round draft selection. However, that doesn't affect a team for the following season, plus they would have two highly sought after NI's, at the expense of an NI draft pick that may or may not pan out, especially if said team won the GC, selecting 9th. The approximately $600K cost would pay dividends down the road as well and would be easily absorbed in a GC hosting year.

The present SMS allows this to happen. But realistically it is a matter of time before an ownership decides to run through the present roadblocks and become the Yankees of the CFL. In reality it is the SMS that is the problem, as it allows teams to do a cost benefit analysis of going over the Cap. Should any team take advantage of this, the Riders have the revenue to do so, that it is a pittance is just lucky for the league, as I see it.
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Sir Purrcival
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You are absolutely correct that they are playing according to the letter of the rules. That does not however make it ethical. It is the leagues fault for leaving a hole in the regulations that make this legal but it doesn't excuse a team doing what the Riders are doing. I believe that what we are seeing is not the real picture, that there is probably considerably more money that is being creatively accounted for so as to make the picture look less serious. It also, to quote the claims of Rider fans from over the years, lays a foundation for teams that have deep pockets to gain advantage over their opponents. It wouldn't really be an issue if happened to any team once in awhile but when you see one franchise repeatedly engaged in behaviour which violates the spirit of the rules, one loses faith in the league and worries for the fate of other teams that may not have those kinds of resources. It doesn't improve the credibility of the league, the game or those running it to have this kind of open manipulation of the rules. As for the pittance part, even $17000.00 dollars could mean the difference between keeping or gaining a free agent or two and as we all know, in some positions (such as the Oline for example) that can be key to many other pieces of success in a franchise. The league needs to change this situation and start coming down much harder on teams that go over the cap. A 17000.00 $ fine to the Riders is no more than a parking ticket.
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Rammer
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Sir Purrcival wrote:You are absolutely correct that they are playing according to the letter of the rules. That does not however make it ethical. It is the leagues fault for leaving a hole in the regulations that make this legal but it doesn't excuse a team doing what the Riders are doing. I believe that what we are seeing is not the real picture, that there is probably considerably more money that is being creatively accounted for so as to make the picture look less serious. It also, to quote the claims of Rider fans from over the years, lays a foundation for teams that have deep pockets to gain advantage over their opponents. It wouldn't really be an issue if happened to any team once in awhile but when you see one franchise repeatedly engaged in behaviour which violates the spirit of the rules, one loses faith in the league and worries for the fate of other teams that may not have those kinds of resources. It doesn't improve the credibility of the league, the game or those running it to have this kind of open manipulation of the rules. As for the pittance part, even $17000.00 dollars could mean the difference between keeping or gaining a free agent or two and as we all know, in some positions (such as the Oline for example) that can be key to many other pieces of success in a franchise. The league needs to change this situation and start coming down much harder on teams that go over the cap. A 17000.00 $ fine to the Riders is no more than a parking ticket.
When a hard cap is in place then we can reach your ideals, but this is a business and any business that can gain an advantage should be doing it. In fact it is a hard pill to swallow knowing what FA's were out there this off season and the Lions didn't secure, given the extra income for hosting a GC. Butler was worth the extra $18K over the cap, that would have been a wise investment. If you aren't spending to the level of your competition, then don't cry about the results that they are attaining.
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