Report: NFL to buy CFL's Toronto franchise, aquire USA TV deal

[Liam Brady the CFL guy]

--Toronto

The CFL may soon find itself back on US cable television, league officials disclosed Wednesday. The deal will also involve the sale of the struggling Toronto Argonaut franchise from the CFL to an unlikely buyer - none other than the National Football League.

Under the terms of the tentative deal, the CFL would relinquish control of the cash strapped franchise to the NFL, who would appoint a General Manager to run the team. In return the CFL would be forgiven its outstanding $3 million US loan from the NFL and have the franchise remain in Canada's most populous city.

The NFL would then seize control of the US television rights for the CFL at a negotiated price of up to $2.4 million US annually, some reports suggest. The NFL is keen to aquire fresh programming for its new 24 hour round the clock football channel, set to launch on November 4. This coincides with the end of the regular season in the CFL and the playoffs would then be shown for the first time in the US in four years.

The NFL has $100 million earmarked for development of their new television channel and is eager to get the deal done soon to avoid a possible move of the team in Toronto to neighbouring London. This news deals a serious blow to the possibility of a move to London, after media reports a relocation of the team was imminent.

[Hartley]

It couldn't hurt. Actually it would probably help the CFL as the NFL could use it as (sort of) a farm system for players who aren't good enough yet for the NFL but could be NFL players with some practice and playing time. For example, if the CFL was under NFL rule in the 80s I'm sure Warren Moon and Doug Flutie would have been picked up by NFL teams earlier. This could only improve the players going to the CFL as it could possibly convince some good players that their best chance of making it to the NFL is by playing for a CFL team first.

[neilm]

Hartley,

Don't spend too much time contemplating the ramifications. The story is the product of a creative yet bored individual.

[Liam Brady the CFL guy]

Hartley: the NFL tried to buy the CFL three years ago. The idea was there were going to be 8 divisions in football with four teams in each. There were 8 teams in the CFL at the time (Ottawa are in their second year) and the common concenus was to have one team in the CFL be a "farm" team for each division in the NFL. Of course we Canadians weren't too fond of this idea and wanted to remain indepedant, so we negotiated a deal in which they loaned us $5 million US interest free and we would allow NFL teams to sign players entering their option year. Typically in the CFL for an undrafted player coming out of college, they will get a one year deal with a one year option. This has allowed marquee players such as Bruce Arlan III (next Terrell Owens), Jeff Garcia, Dave Dickenson and Marc Boerigter (KC Chiefs slotback) to head south a year earlier.

Personally I would love the financial stability of the NFL prescence especially with the stiff owners we have in Calgary right now. The TV deal should give us a bit more of that and I get the feeling that if ratings are good then we won't have to worry about teams folding. Every team in this league with the exception of Edmonton are in a week to week survival mode.