Commentary: Pro Player

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For a league always happy to get some good news, Wednesday was a red letter day for the CFL.

Mid-morning I got an email from the CFL Players Association stating the league’s salary cap is going up by nearly 10% to over $6-million for 2025. It’s the first increase since 2014!

Shortly thereafter I got an email from the CFL announcing the same thing but I thought it was very poignant that I found out from the players first.

In my first days in the CFL (1990s), I was decidedly pro-Owner. Hey, it’s a good life! Private jets, luxury suites and shrimp cocktail.

But over the years I didn’t like what I saw. It was nothing nefarious, but just a rather very cold and harsh way of doing business and dealing with players and staff.

That’s the exact opposite of me. I’m certain the world needs both types, but that just isn’t my tribe.

(Mind you the best, winningest owners don’t treat their players and staff like numbers but that’s a topic for another day).

So I swung over to the players’ side of things. After all, their blood, sweat and tears are what makes the league tick. Any league couldn’t exist without players.

All they wanted was a voice and to be heard. I was happy to be that guy for them.

When my time in Saskatchewan was up, the owners couldn’t have cared less if I blew away like a piece of trash.

But that’s when the Players Association swooped in. They sponsored and supported our new show, put their players on it, shipped me their clothing to wear and offered the most important thing of all: information and even better, inside information.

It’s a bond that I don’t think will ever be broken. Who says loyalty is dead!?

Together, we all win and that’s what this salary cap news is about. Fans wanna know the inside info as to how the owners increased their revenue and want the real numbers.

But I don’t care. It’s best to not look a gift horse in the mouth.

And now you know the story of why I’ll always be … Pro Player.

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary.

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm & 4 pm ET on Game+TV, Podcast & YouTube Live)