The CFL has a new problem. A fledgling and potentially rival football league has signed a CFL star, defensive halfback Tay Cody. Problem is, Cody is under contract to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Go to www.allamericanfootballleague.comand check out the Florida roster. Cody’s on it, complete with his head shot.
The Ticats are considering legal action.
•This new league, incidentally, will consist of teams in Alabama, Arkansas, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas and Florida. Its marquee player at this point is former Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch, who had a cup of coffee with the Argonauts … Mike Gibson is likely to be chosen ahead of Richie Hall in the Saskatchewan Roughriders battle of assistant coaches vying to succeed Kent Austin as head coach. Hall, a member of the Riders staff much longer than Gibson, likely will be ticked off and may bolt … The Riders, who gave Austin a coaching chance after he was dumped by the Argos and may have been shut out of the CFL coaching market, deserved better than him abandoning them, regardless of his repeated explanations that he is taking a pay cut to become the offensive co-ordinator at his alma mater, the University of Mississippi … Mike Nelson is leaving the Ticats coaching staff to join the Argos coaching staff. Nelson won’t exactly be a PR dream for the Argos. During his time in Hamilton, he never spoke with the media. He was conspicuous in airports, however, where he’d sit on the floors of departure lounges to work with his laptop computer.
•Alleged steroid users swept baseball’s MVP awards in 2002 (Miguel Tejada and Barry Bonds), 1998 (Juan Gonzalez and Sammy Sosa) and 1996 (Gonzalez and Ken Caminiti) … Gonzalez, by the way, may soon sign with the Cardinals, where he’d join another new St. Louis slugger and alleged steroid user, Troy Glaus … New York Yankees star Derek Jeter plans to return to college for a degree when he’s done playing. “Did you see Rodney Dangerfield in Back To School?” he asked on a recent TV appearance. “That’s going to be me. If and when I have kids one day, I’m going to go back to school with my kids.”
•And, I like Cliff Fletcher — class guy — but didn’t he already have a chance running the Maple Leafs? Wouldn’t John Muckler be a better choice for this beleaguered franchise? It was only last year, after all, when Muckler led the Ottawa Senators to the Stanley Cup final.
For more hockey stuff, visit www.metronews.caand check out my latest NHL Report.
In three-plus decades as a columnist and broadcaster, Marty York has built a network of solid contacts and a renowned reputation for his hard-hitting, groundbreaking style. The tradition continues in Metro Sports.
