CFL to amend financial rules in wake of secret deal
Football Betting Lines
06/16/2009 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Canadian Football League has announced plans to change its financial rules after it was revealed that British Columbia Lions owner David Braley helped Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon purchase the Toronto Argonauts out of bankruptcy in 2003.
The Toronto Globe & Mail first reported the secret transaction and the league responded with a statement acknowledging the pact. Both ownership groups also provided statements, and all three parties said the league's bylaws were not broken.
Braley, according to the Globe & Mail, paid half of the $2 million franchise fee for the purchase and continued to provide financial assistance to the Argos afterward.
The league, while saying it had no knowledge of the transaction at the time, said Braley never had a stake in the Argos and added that competition between the teams was never compromised.
"I have been informed that British Columbia Lions owner David Braley provided financial assistance to Toronto Argonaut owners Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon, as they sought to strengthen our league by strengthening a storied franchise in our largest city," CFL commissioner Mark Cohon said in a statement. "There has been no suggestion, nor is there any evidence, that this financial transaction had any effect whatsoever on the competitive integrity of our game.
"There is every indication that all three of these gentlemen acted, and continue to act, out of love for the Canadian Football League and respect for its fans. There has also been no breach of the league's Constitution or its bylaws. However, there is clearly a need for improved transparency in such matters. And I intend to work with our Board of Governors to revise our rules so that such financial transactions, no matter how well intended, must be shared with the Commissioner and all governors."
Braley said it was only his intention to help the CFL and the Argonauts when he offered his financial assistance.
"I am a passionate supporter of our country and those things which make it unique and strong, including the Canadian Football League," Braley's statement read. "For that reason, at a difficult time in the history of the Toronto Argonauts, I offered Howard Sokolowski and David Cynamon financial assistance. While I am always willing to share my business advice and counsel with any of my fellow governors, I have never directed the operations of the Toronto Argonauts, and I have certainly never been an owner of the Toronto Argonauts."
Sokolowski and Cynamon offered a similar reply.
"To encourage the purchase of the Toronto Argonauts during a very difficult time in the team's history, David Braley offered financial assistance to us to make the transaction more attractive," Sokolowski and Cynamon stated. "This did not breach the league's Constitution or its bylaws. David Braley is not an owner of the Toronto Argonauts and has never been an owner of the Toronto Argonauts nor has he directed in any way the team's operations. David Braley is a staunch supporter of the CFL and has only ever acted to protect the league's best interests."
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NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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