Unlike the Montreal Alouettes, the Calgary Stampeders tried to return to normalcy at McMahon Stadium on Sunday under unusual circumstances.
After the Canadian Football League and its Players’ Association broke off negotiations to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement on Saturday, the union asked players from seven of the league’s nine teams to participate in a work stoppage.
The Alouettes notably announced Sunday evening that the club was suspending all training in its camp “until further notice”.
For their part, the players of the Stampeders and the Edmonton Elks, however, reported to their camp on Sunday, when they are not in a legal position to go on strike with the end of May, according to the laws work in Alberta.
“We shouldn’t be here right now,” Stampeders linebacker Jameer Thurman said. The rest of the league is on strike. We also voted for a strike, but the laws in Alberta are a little different. We hope everything will be settled and we can play football.”
The last agreement, reached in 2019 and amended last year to allow the CFL to present a shortened season of 14 games, expired at midnight on Saturday.
The only strike in CFL history had occurred in 1974. The issues, however, had been settled before the start of the campaign that year.
It is unclear when the two sides will return to the negotiating table.
Stampeders union rep Derek Wiggan says he and his teammates are confident a deal will be ratified before the team is in a legal position to go on strike.
“We’ll go through the process and on Wednesday we’ll see what happens,” said the defensive lineman, entering his seventh season with the Stampeders. I’m really hopeful. We trust our negotiating team. I know they’re going to get us something good, so it just needs to be confirmed by Wednesday.”
Head coach Dave Dickenson is also optimistic. He said he and his staff can prepare for the Stampeders’ first preseason game on May 28.
“Everyone has that extra attention right now,” Dickenson said. We’ve all been looking forward to the start of 2022. I’ve told the guys they’ll want to be here because we’re going to have quite a season.”
Dickenson liked what he saw of his group of players and rookies when they hit the field Sunday morning.
“The energy is good,” he said. The positivity is there and the players are dedicated. The coaches are excited to see what we’ve implemented and if we can get that communication out to the players and take care of the details.”
Despite his insistence that camp shouldn’t have started in the midst of the labor dispute, Thurman decided to make the best of a bad situation.
“It’s just good to be back here, going through the games and learning the system again,” he said. I’ve always had to take my game up a notch since I’ve been here. I always knew that a lot of people saw me as a leader of this defense. Nothing has changed. I still expect to perform at a high level and bring the guys with me.”