B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke didn’t mince words when asked about the CFL’s latest slate of rule changes set to begin in 2026.
Speaking to reporters after practice Monday, the Canadian quarterback voiced his displeasure with the moves announced by CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston and expressed deep frustration with how the league handled the process.
“It’s garbage. As many people did. Fans and people who play in this league grew up watching the CFL and loving the game,” Rourke said when asked about the rule changes. “I grew up in Ontario, played Canadian football rules all my life, was aware of the league down there, but was a fan of the CFL because of its differences.
“I went down to the States proud of the game, being able to explain the differences. What the waggle, the yard, the extra person, these are the things that are unique about the game that make it different.”
The two-part plan, which was unanimously approved by the league’s lead governors, will be phased in over the next two years.
Among the changes coming to the 2026 season are:
A modified rouge, which will no longer award a single point for certain missed kicks through the endzones.
Requiring all teams to have benches on opposite sides of the field.
A new 35-second play clock that starts automatically after a play is whistled dead.
Then, in 2027, the following changes to the field of play will be made:
Moving the goalposts to the back of the end zones to encourage more touchdowns.
Shortening the end zones from 20 to 15 yards.
Shortening the length of the field from 110 yards to 100 yards.
Rourke said he was especially disappointed in the commissioner, questioning whether the league’s leadership values the sport in the same way the players do.
“The CFL game has existed for longer than the NFL, and there’s a reason for that. It’s unique. The fans love it. I grew up loving this game, and they’re changing that. They’re getting rid of a lot of things,” Rourke explained. “The worst part is the fact that the people who play football, and who have the football knowledge, were not consulted about this. The players weren’t consulted, the coaches, management, nobody was consulted. This was done on their own accord.
“This was done independent of asking anyone who actually knows football what they want to do, what they think would be better. We have a commissioner who hasn’t been here for a year who’s already trying to make, trying to change the game. And I don’t believe he loves football as much as I do, as much as many fans do.”
The league also announced that the CFL Rules Committee – composed of the commissioner, head coaches, the CFL Players’ Association and officials – will review and address the nuances of rules impacted by these changes in the upcoming off-season.