Arland Bruce is off to Hamilton via a trade. Only in the Canadian Football League.
Arland Bruce is off to Hamilton via a trade. Only in the Canadian Football League.
Hamilton is the place where Bruce pulled off his infamous tribute to Michael Jackson earlier this month and his Superman mask homage last Labour Day.
It seems only natural that he’d be headed to Hamilton.
The Toronto Argonauts, desperate to unload the receiver whom they sat out of last Friday’s game in Winnipeg because of numerous on- and off-field problems, were in the process of dealing Bruce to Hamilton. It could happen some time on Wednesday.
In return, the Ticats sent Toronto the rights to defensive lineman Corey Mace, a third-round pick next year as well as a conditional pick in the 2011 draft, according to the two teams.
From the Argos’ point of view, they will unload a player they didn’t want and his salary, at $180,000 a year among the highest for non-quarterbacks in the CFL.
Better to get something than nothing at all.
The Tiger-Cats, it could be safely assumed, did not want to take the chance Bruce would go on waivers and they would lose out on his services.
Call it a game of poker, in which the Argos forced Hamilton’s hand.
From the Tiger-Cats’ perspective, they will acquire a player who will immediately improve their receiving corps. When Bruce puts his mind to it, he’s among the best receivers in the CFL.
Bruce wanted to be in Hamilton because it allows him to commute and not be away from his family.
In the end, he will be the big winner.
Then again, for what it’s worth, his reputation has taken a beating -- assuming that even matters to Bruce.
The Tiger-Cats are tied with Toronto for second in the East with a 2-2 record and have already lost one game to them. Logically the Argos shouldn’t be dealing a player to their arch-rival, who this year may make the playoffs, or at the very least be in a position to contend for it.
Whatever rule that states you don’t trade within your own division apparently doesn’t fit in this case.
Then again, didn’t the New England Patriots trade Drew Bledose to the Buffalo Bills one year?
The Argos had no need for Bruce, their leading receiver, after numerous on- and off-field incidents this year, beyond just the Jackson fiasco. He had become a distraction that clearly put him at odds with rookie head coach Bart Andrus, who informed him last week he would not be travelling with the team to Winnipeg to play the Bombers on Friday.
Bruce went public with his displeasure, firing some unflattering salvos at Andrus. He appeared to criticize starting quarterback Kerry Joseph, too, although Bruce claimed those remarks were taken out of context. He did not retract a single thing about Andrus.
What is clear about Andrus, unlike previous Argo coaches for whom Bruce has played, is that he is an individual who believes in discipline and conformity. Clearly, Bruce crossed the line too many times.
"Right now I don’t want him around the team," Andrus told the media on Tuesday.
Bruce actually believed that after all he had said publicly since he was disciplined by the team that he would be welcomed back when the Argos convened for their first practice since the Winnipeg game. A throng of media waited for him to show up. This was actually that big of a deal.
Maybe it’s a product of the season: The CFL commands major media attention in the summer, but loses its traction come September, at least in Toronto where the Toronto Maple Leafs dominate coverage and the Toronto Raptors are second. The Argos are far back in the pecking order, but right now they are receiving Leaf-type coverage over this one particular incident.
Bruce is a talented receiver, but at this point we’re not talking about a future Hall of Famer.
He’ll make for an interesting yarn in Hamilton, and the next time the Argos play the Tiger-Cats, which happens to be the annual Labour Day game, it will be a story line. That occurs every time a player or coach faces his former CFL team, but it happens so frequently in the CFL it’s often over-hyped.
But didn’t Kevin Glenn stick it to Winnipeg head coach Mike Kelly, who cut him in the off-season, when he came off the bench and helped the Tiger-Cats beat the Bombers a couple of games ago?
That’s the CFL.
When all is said and done, the Arland Bruce saga will be a footnote in Argo and CFL history.