When the Saskatchewan Roughriders sent out the daily itinerary for Riders Training camp, it said today (Thursday) would be a practice day, with a chance for the media to talk to the players and coaches afterwards.

This morning, a different breakdown of the day ahead.  The news release simply said today would be a “recovery day” for the players at training camp, so practice has been cancelled.

The Riders are expecting to hit the field tomorrow morning for practice once again, however, that is up int he air, as the issue of the Collective Bargaining Agreement hasn’t been settled.

The players rejected the contract offer from the CFL, despite its own negotiating team saying the players should accept.  This has thrown the start of the season into doubt, as the league has imposed a deadline of 10pm tonight to have a new deal.  If there isn’t an agreement, the League will lock out the players, and that would most certainly mean the cancellation of pre season games this weekend.

The issue has been money and the Canadian ratio.  The Canadian Football League wants to have one less Canadian on the roster, to make room for what is called a “naturalized” American player.

That would be a US born player who has been in the league five years, or three years with the same team.

When the players first rejected the offer, it seemed that these issues could be sorted out quickly.  The veteran players were apparently not happy about the lack of a signing bonus, and that is something the league seemed willing to address.  The ratio issue is non-monetary, and something you would think could be negotiated by both sides, or at least with the help of a mediator, or facilitator.  Neither side is really saying anything about how the talks are going.

Like everyone else, we will have to wait until tonight at 10 to see if the two sides can put aside their differences, and make a deal.