Courtesy: CFL

Commissioner Stewart Johnston is hoping to have a heart-to-heart with his league’s biggest star regarding his resistance to the CFL’s recent rule changes.

On Monday, Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke stole the thunder from the league’s unveiling of several major structural amendments, calling the moves “garbage” in his post-practice media availability. The Oakville, Ont. native expressed displeasure that players and coaches were not consulted in advance of the announcement and accused league leadership of trying to more closely resemble the NFL.

Asked to respond to those comments in an appearance on TSN 1050‘s popular OverDrive radio show, Johnston chose to treat the B.C. Lions’ pivot with compassion.

“Nathan, of course, is an important voice in the league, and I know he’s busy preparing for actual games. When the time is right, I would love to connect with Nathan and walk him through kind of the reasoning behind what we’re doing, and also kind of the really core group of a lot of football experts that were involved in looking at this,” Johnston said.

“I’m incredibly confident that these are the right moves for the league, but, of course, I respect anyone’s opinion. Whether it’s Nathan Rourke or a passionate season-ticket holder, I want to listen to what they have to say and hopefully be able to explain the reasoning and the process that we went through.”

The sweeping changes to the CFL’s rules will be rolled out over the next two years. Beginning in 2026, the league will modify the infamous rouge to eliminate a point being scored for a missed field goal (or any other kick) sent past the dead line. The 20-second play clock, which was previously whistled in by the officials, will also change to a 35-second running clock. Then in 2027, the field goal posts will move from the goal line to the dead line, while the field will shrink from 110 yards with 20-yard end zones to 100 yards long with 15-yard end zones.

Several other key players, including quarterbacks like Bo Levi Mitchell, Zach Collaros, Nick Arbuckle, and Davis Alexander, weighed in in favour of the rule changes. However, Rourke became a spokesperson for a section of the fan base deeply concerned by the prospect of Americanization.

“I get it; change is hard. Nobody really likes change, except for maybe wet babies. It’s a very difficult thing to kind of change, especially things that have been around for a while,” Johnston said sympathetically. “Having said that, what I would say is, if anyone’s critiquing that are worried we’re transitioning to a more American style game, I’d point to what really defines us as a Canadian Football League and Canadian brand of football. I do think it’s three downs, 12 players, a 65-yard wide field, big end zones, motion, yard off the ball, five yards on catches, all of that  — that’s all in play.”

“What we’re trying to do here is create a playing surface or, as I said in the press conference, a canvas that really is going to allow the Canadian game to flourish even more so. If there’s doubt that’s the intention, I can just say with all sincerity that we think we’re going to have more touchdowns scored, we’re going to have a safer field, we’re going to have a better presentation for our broadcaster and our fans, we’re going to take some idiosyncrasies out that I think don’t make sense. All of that, that’s what this was.”

It remains to be seen if the CFL will fine Rourke for his public comments, which could be categorized as bringing the league into disrepute. On a personal level, it does not appear that the harsh wording has soured Johnston’s affection for his most marketable employee.

“Nathan is a superstar in our league, and I think he’s having a historic season,” the commissioner said. “I will tell you, on a personal level, I was such a fan of his first time around in B.C., and then when he tried his hand in the NFL, I was cheering so hard for him. I felt like if he could just get his opportunity, he would show the world just what an amazing player he is. And then, of course, selfishly, I’m thrilled he’s back in Canada and having a season like he is, which is awesome.”

The B.C. Lions (7-7) will host the Toronto Argonauts (5-9) at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver on Friday night with kickoff slated for 10:00 p.m. EDT. The Argonauts are coming off a narrow loss to the Montreal Alouettes, while the Lions dominated the Calgary Stampeders.

The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 1050 in Toronto and 730 CKNW in Vancouver.