Roughriders Acquire Rights to Vad Lee from Eskimos

Big news in the world of the Canadian Football League today folks. The Saskatchewan Roughriders acquired the negotiation list rights to Vad Lee from the Edmonton Eskimos. This is obviously good news for Vad, who now has another window open to continuing his football career. It might be even better news for your favorite bloggers (ed. note: we’re talking about ourselves here), because there ain’t a damn thing to write about JMU otherwise. However, we understand that many of you might not be up on the ins and outs of the Canadian Football League roster moves. That’s where we come in as we attempt to answer all of your CFL roster move questions.

Wait, when was Vad even drafted?

He wasn’t. Only 70 players are picked in the CFL draft and most international players are ineligible to be drafted. The CFL bylaws require each team to have a minimum number of Canadians both on the active roster and in the starting lineup. As such, most non-Canadian players are ineligible for the draft. It’s confusing, but as best we can tell, the CFL needs to limit the number of Americans on each team. If they did not, whichever would team signed the most Americans would obviously crush everyone, thereby eliminating the need to even play the games and the league would go out of business. Make sense?

So Edmonton must have signed him after the draft?

No. After the draft Edmonton put Vad on its negotiations list (neg list for short) for international, or “import”, players. It’s basically a way for a team to lock up the negotiating rights for any player the club might want to sign.

How come I’ve never heard of this negotiations list?

Probably because it’s unique to the Canadian Football League. A league where, as the name implies, all games are played in Canada. As Americans we’re conditioned to ignore all things in the Great White North. But it’s worth noting that according to our research, “it is estimated 75% of players do not know they are on a CFL team’s neg list.”

So if people aren’t even notified when they’re put on a negotiations list, does this mean I might be on some CFL team’s neg list?

No. That’s not possible. You suck at football.

Why would the Eskimos trade the rights to negotiate with a player as awesome as Vad?

Like in most American sports leagues, teams value prospects differently and sometimes sacrifice future potential for more immediate results. Another likely scenario is that everyone on the Eskimos roster was so scared that Vad would make them look bad in practice that they forced management to trade his rights.

So now he’s part of DMX’s crew?

Easy mistake, but you’re thinking of the Ruff Riders. The team that acquired the rights to Vad is the Roughriders.

What’s up with the Roughriders?

They’re based in Regina, Saskatchewan and play in the Western Division of the CFL. They’re actually one of the oldest professional sports franchise in all of North America. Plus, they have arguably the most passionate fanbase in Canada and have the third most valuable brand in all of Canadian sports. They’ve even won four Grey Cups (think Canadian Superbowls).

Wow, four Grey Cups. So the Roughriders must be one of the premier franchises in the CFL?

Um, not really. Winning the Grey Cup four times is awesome. Until you consider that seven teams have won more than that. And there are only nine teams in the entire CFL. Because, Canada.

You sure are down on Canada. Have you even seen who’s running for president in America?

Good point. I take it all back. Canada ain’t bad. Let’s drink maple syrup and watch hockey, eh?

Cut the crap. What does this all mean?

We’re not sure. It probably depends on whether or not Vad wants to play professional football. If he does, this is cool. Really, really cool. Even if he doesn’t, a major professional franchise trading for the right to negotiate a deal for him speaks volumes about his abilities.

Despite our playful jabs above, the CFL is a great league. And if you’ve never been to Canada, trust us when we tell you that it’s an absolutely beautiful country. And it’s filled with some truly wonderful people. Most Americans are either unfamiliar with the CFL entirely, or wrongly think it exists solely as some sort of proving ground for the NFL. Yes, notable NFL players such as Warren Moon and Doug Flutie proved themselves in the CFL before getting their NFL breaks, but it’s a great league on its own merits. Canadian Football is similar to the American game, but is just different enough to make it uniquely Canadian. A few of the things that make it different, such as the larger field, probably make it better suited to Vad’s speed and ability in the open field actually. Should he decide to pursue a career in the CFL, the Roughriders would be a great franchise for him. They’ve got a proud history and some of the best fans in sports. We’re sure they’d gain many more if the ever added Vad.