A STATEMENT FROM THE CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE REGARDING CELEBRATIONS

TORONTO (November 5, 2018) -- The Canadian Football League (CFL) has released the following statement:

We are amending our policy on on-field celebrations to prohibit the use of alcohol or drugs and the mimicking of the use of alcohol or drugs.

Football is a game and for our fans it is a source of entertainment. It should be fun. That is why we amended our on-field celebration policy this year to, among other things, allow the use of props.

When a player celebrated a touchdown this weekend by drinking a fan’s beer, he was acting within that policy and no discipline was mandated. 

However, the situation prompted several discussions with our clubs which indicated concern there is a risk that repeated celebrations featuring alcohol, or for that matter drugs, could send the wrong signal about our players, especially to young and impressionable fans.

To put it simply, to have this happen once may, for many people at least, have been fun and even funny. But to have it happen again and again, and possibly include other substances, was not in the best interests of the CFL or the communities it calls home.

Amended policy attached below.