It wasn’t quite as dramatic a reading as good Ole Joe Theisman threw at the CFL, but Montreal Alouettes head coach Don Matthews isn’t being shy with his comments on the Ricky Williams signing by the Argonauts.
Matthews who of course once upon a time was the Don of Toronto with the Argos, ripped into his former team on Tuesday suggesting that he was embarrassed by the CFL’s handling of the Dolphin’s signing with the Argos for a year.
Matthews claims that the CFL created a problem that did not exist before by ignoring paragraph 22 of the CFL charter which says “you cannot sign in our league if you are under contract to another league.” Matthews went on to say he had no problem with Williams as a player nor as a person, his concern is purely with the rather casual interpretation of the rules that seems to pop up from time to time in the CFL.
While he and his GM Jim Popp are of the same thought regarding the Williams issue, they probably can stop pulling their hair out. The Alouettes owner, Bob Wettenhall wrote an e mail to the Argos ownership group supporting them in their bid to acquire the services of Williams, Wettenhall said in his e mail that the presence of Williams in the CFL would be good for the gate and good for exposure in the USA.
There is also some conjecture going around that the Alouettes were exploring the prospect of signing Williams themselves before the Argos beat everyone to the punch.
One thing is certain with the Ti-Cats and now the Alouettes speaking out against the Argos on the Williams issue, the East division match ups are going to carry just a little more tension as the season meanders down towards the Grey Cup.
Update: For his troubles Matthews has been fined $5,000 by the CFL for his comments on the Williams signing, it's not the first time that the Don has had to pony up some cash for his tendency to be outspoken .
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