Ottawa Redblacks fire general manager Marcel Desjardins
The Ottawa Redblacks have fired Marcel Desjardins, the only general manager in franchise history.
Desjardins said Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group CEO Mark Goudie visited his office early Monday morning and told him the team was making a change.
“I said well, I think you guys are making a mistake, but that’s up to you guys, and thanks very much, and packed my bag and came back home,” Desjardins told TSN 1200’s John Rodenburg and Shawn Simpson.
“It’s disappointing to leave on this note, but at the end of the day it’s the business. I’m looking ahead.”
The Redblacks were eliminated from playoff contention after a 32-3 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday. The team has a 2-9 record this season.
Goudie said in a statement that Desjardins, the first employee hired by the team in 2013, "has put everything that he has into our organization."
"His many accomplishments include bringing Ottawa its first Grey Cup win in 40 years," Goudie said. "I respect Marcel very much and thank him for his unwavering commitment to the REDBLACKS, RNation and our community.”
Desjardins said he still believes the team is on the right track, but admitted he was disappointed in the results this year.
“We do a lot of things the right way, we just don’t end up with the results, and that’s the disappointing part. And I take responsibility for that.”
However, he also suggested that others bear responsibility for the team’s lacklustre results.
“There are obviously things that I could have done better, but there are things that a lot of people could have done better,” he told TSN 1200. “At the end of the day, if there’s anything to be learned from this, it’s when decisions have to be made, make sure you control your own destiny. Maybe I wasn’t in the right mode where that’s concerned, and I’ll leave it at that.”
Assistant general manager Jeremy Snyder is taking over as interim general manager for the rest of the season, the team said Monday. Jean-Marc Edmé, who has been with the organization since 2016, will assume the Interim Assistant General Manager role. Snyder has been with the organization since 2013, and Edmé since 2016.
Redblacks last in East Division
The Redblacks have not made the playoffs since losing in the 2018 Grey Cup game to the Calgary Stampeders. They missed the playoffs in 2019, and the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They sit in last in the East Division this season.
The franchise hired Desjardins in 2013 as its first-ever general manager. He oversaw the assembly of a roster, led by quarterback Henry Burris, that led to a Grey Cup appearance in 2015 and a Grey Cup victory the following year.
Before joining the Redblacks, he spent the prior 10 seasons as an assistant general manager with the Montreal Alouettes.
Asked whether he has a message for the fans of the team on Monday, Desjardins was blunt.
“Some of them have been great, some of them have been very difficult on me, especially,” he said.
“To those who were supportive, thank you. To those who weren’t, you got what you wanted.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
RCMP not investigating possible foreign interference cases related to Chiu, Dong: Duheme
Canada's federal police force is not investigating any possible instances of foreign interference in the cases of former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu and Liberal-turned-Independent MP Han Dong, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
MPs agree Canadian gov't should improve new disability benefit
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.