Quote Originally Posted by Argo57 View Post
Any CFL team (Hamilton) would be best to simply walk away from this guy, total train wreck from both a team chemistry and PR standpoint.
Hamilton, in particular, should be extremely wary of signing Manziel after going through the coach Art Briles fiasco. He had been fired because of his alleged coverup of sex scandals by his players at Baylor University the year before. To counter the resulting bad PR, the Tiger Cats joined the "Be more than a Bystander" campaign on violence against women and even had Nancy Smith, who is the executive director of Interval House (for battered women), introduced to the crowd at half-time in a September home game last year. She thanked the club and said the Hamilton "Be more than a Bystander" would be modelled on the one started by the BC Lions in 2011 that now has six CFL teams participating in. Wally Buono has said he fully supports the campaign because he saw his own mother attacked in their own home. Therefore, in addition to negative fan reaction, I strongly suspect that many players would not be keen to be playing with Manziel because they had to deal with similar situations in their lives.

After a "disappointing" period where they hired a coach accused of covering up sexual assault, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have joined a program designed to discourage violence against women. The Ticats announced Thursday that they've joined "Be More Than a Bystander" program. It's a joint effort with Interval House of Hamilton, which offers shelter and support for abused women. ...
Through the program, the team will record a series of public service announcements that will air at 2018 Ticats games, among other venues. They'll also go to high schools in February 2018, and host thousands of high school students next spring. ...
Briles was fired as head coach at Baylor University last year in the wake of a sexual assault scandal. In a recently settled lawsuit, a woman alleged knowledge of at least 52 acts of rape by more than 30 football players while Briles was head coach. The Ticats hired Briles, only to rescind the offer less than 24 hours later after community and fan backlash. Ticats CEO Scott Mitchell acknowledged the Briles controversy Thursday. Mitchell said it was a misstep. ...
It took a while to work out the program with Interval House, Mitchell said, because the team wanted to make sure it could adequately commit to it.
Nancy Smith, Interval House executive director, said Thursday's announcement is "not really about Art Briles." "This is about a societal shift, about how we all need to be aware and mindful of our behaviour and the influence it can have, particularly on women and girls."
The team also pledged to include Be More Than a Bystander in its current community programs. That includes incorporating it into an annual Coaches Clinic, which hosted 80 coaches this year.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilt...ouse-1.4352507

The Hamilton nominee for the Jake Gaudaur Trophy, which is given in part for contributions to one's community, was Courtney Stephen, who was the Hamilton nominee in part because he was "the face of the Ticats' 'Be More Than a Bystander' campaign with Interval House and trained to speak at schools" about the issue.

Courtney Stephen, Justin Vaughn and Terrell Davis along with Ticats Alumni, Mike Morreale. There are four main components of the team’s ‘Be More Than a Bystander’ (BMTAB) campaign set to launch in 2018, which will be co-ordinated in ongoing consultation with Interval House of Hamilton’s MentorAction:
Community awareness campaign: A series of public service announcements and customized content from BMTAB-trained Ticats representatives to be shared across team-controlled distribution channels throughout the 2018 season,
‘Be More Than a Bystander’ month — February 2018: This extensive, month-long awareness campaign will incorporate a number of initiatives, including school visits
‘Be More Than a Bystander’ Day at Tim Hortons Field — spring 2018: In conjunction with the Hamilton District School Board, the Tiger-Cats will organize an outdoor field trip to Tim Hortons Field to engage thousands of high school students
Amplify current Tiger-Cats community programs with BMTAB elements
High School Mentorship Program
https://globalnews.ca/news/3798838/t...against-women/


Do the Tiger Cats and the league want to squander this positive PR by risking the signing of Manziel?