CFL to amend financial rules in wake of secret deal

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06/16/2009 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Canadian Football League has announced plans to change its financial rules after it was revealed that British Columbia Lions owner David Braley helped Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon purchase the Toronto Argonauts out of bankruptcy in 2003.

The Toronto Globe & Mail first reported the secret transaction and the league responded with a statement acknowledging the pact. Both ownership groups also provided statements, and all three parties said the league's bylaws were not broken.

Braley, according to the Globe & Mail, paid half of the $2 million franchise fee for the purchase and continued to provide financial assistance to the Argos afterward.

The league, while saying it had no knowledge of the transaction at the time, said Braley never had a stake in the Argos and added that competition between the teams was never compromised.

"I have been informed that British Columbia Lions owner David Braley provided financial assistance to Toronto Argonaut owners Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon, as they sought to strengthen our league by strengthening a storied franchise in our largest city," CFL commissioner Mark Cohon said in a statement. "There has been no suggestion, nor is there any evidence, that this financial transaction had any effect whatsoever on the competitive integrity of our game.

"There is every indication that all three of these gentlemen acted, and continue to act, out of love for the Canadian Football League and respect for its fans. There has also been no breach of the league's Constitution or its bylaws. However, there is clearly a need for improved transparency in such matters. And I intend to work with our Board of Governors to revise our rules so that such financial transactions, no matter how well intended, must be shared with the Commissioner and all governors."

Braley said it was only his intention to help the CFL and the Argonauts when he offered his financial assistance.

"I am a passionate supporter of our country and those things which make it unique and strong, including the Canadian Football League," Braley's statement read. "For that reason, at a difficult time in the history of the Toronto Argonauts, I offered Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon financial assistance. While I am always willing to share my business advice and counsel with any of my fellow governors, I have never directed the operations of the Toronto Argonauts, and I have certainly never been an owner of the Toronto Argonauts."

Sokolowski and Cynamon offered a similar reply.

"To encourage the purchase of the Toronto Argonauts during a very difficult time in the team's history, David Braley offered financial assistance to us to make the transaction more attractive," Sokolowski and Cynamon stated. "This did not breach the league's Constitution or its bylaws. David Braley is not an owner of the Toronto Argonauts and has never been an owner of the Toronto Argonauts nor has he directed in any way the team's operations. David Braley is a staunch supporter of the CFL and has only ever acted to protect the league's best interests."

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SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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