Oh no!

**Will** · 12-03-2021, 11:34 AM

Hearing @TorontoArgos QB MacLeod Bethel-Thompson has been sent home and is being held out of practice today because of attending the @Raptors game at his team’s request. It’s a violation of CFL Covid protocol, which states he must now quarantine 4 days. Game day is Sunday.#CFL
— Dave Naylor (@TSNDaveNaylor) December 3, 2021

**cfl-cis fan** · 12-03-2021, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by Will

While this is a stupid rule, some one is in charge of this team and activities. Where does the blame lie. While players are held responsible for their actions on the field, should coaches and staff not also be held responsible for this....

**paulwoods13** · 12-03-2021, 12:02 PM

And meanwhile, according to Madani (so take it for what it's worth, but IMO his reports are usually accurate), Masoli is unvaxed but will of course be playing.

If Argos end up playing this game without MBT, my lifelong love affair with the league and the team might finally be over. The org should not have placed their most important player at risk of getting quarantined, so that's on us, but the league needs to come to its senses as well.

**Joe Barnes** · 12-03-2021, 01:47 PM

Originally Posted by paulwoods13

And meanwhile, according to Madani (so take it for what it's worth, but IMO his reports are usually accurate), Masoli is unvaxed but will of course be playing.

If Argos end up playing this game without MBT, my lifelong love affair with the league and the team might finally be over. The org should not have placed their most important player at risk of getting quarantined, so that's on us, but the league needs to come to its senses as well.

I agree with this sentiment 100%! We have been begging MLSE to do something to promote the team and this game, and they finally did! It is not MBT's fault that he attended this 'gathering' and was being reckless, the prevention of which is the intent of the rule. He was told to attend by his employer. If the league can't see past the 'letter of the law' in this case, I don't know what to say. Though it looks bad no matter what choice the league makes.

**DanTheFan** · 12-03-2021, 02:11 PM

My brother brought up an excellent point regarding the consistencies of COVID protocol between leagues. Nazem Kadri attended a Raptors game on Tuesday night, and played the Leafs the next day. Why doesn't the NHL view this as a breach of protocol? Is it because they were playing in the same arena? What makes the NHL more aware of what is risky behaviour compared to the CFL?

I'm fully prepared for a game where Pipkin is the starter, but definitely won't be happy about it. Not pinning it on MBT fully since he was answering the call of the higher-ups. I was wondering how this would play into next season hypothetically as I can't remember his contract status. If someone at MLSE put him up to it, AND he has played his last game as an Argo, would the team have a lawsuit on their hands? Sunday's game is where he can prove he's a money quarterback, and if he's kept out, then what?

**jerrym** · 12-04-2021, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by paulwoods13

If Argos end up playing this game without MBT, my lifelong love affair with the league and the team might finally be over. The org should not have placed their most important player at risk of getting quarantined, so that's on us, but the league needs to come to its senses as well.

I get that you are upset but the team is more than MBT and there are more important issues than this, even if it were to cost the Argos a Grey Cup. I have been a fan since 1959 through many awful Argo teams, boneheaded management and a few players who ended up committing significant crimes. None of that changed my loyalty to the team. Human beings make mistakes, sometimes big mistakes. Every sport league, including the CFL, NFL, NHL, and NBA allowed players involved in domestic abuse to get away with no consequences for decades ever, only dealing with it when part of the fan base demanded otherwise. Blacks were not allowed to play in many sports for decades and decades and yet teams and fans rarely protested. Nearly every league ignored violations of drug enhanced performance rules for decades or stopped watching. The CFL at least gave many Blacks a chance to play when the mighty NFL would not. More recently Colin Kaepernick was blackballed and prevented from playing for taking a knee in protest to the killing of Blacks, yet most fans still watched and watch NFL games. Sports teams everywhere fly incredible number of miles without ever questioning how this affects climate change or doing the least to tackle an issue that according to the experts is going to create hundreds of millions of climate refugees, wipe many island nations and most of Bangladesh (population 160 million) off the face of the Earth through sea level rise, and quite likely make much of the Middle East uninhabitable, to say nothing of paralyzing BC through heat waves, wildfires, burnt communities, and just this month floods. Now the floods are causing major damage in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. And global warming damage is going to get much, much worse around the world. Has any sport team really tackled its contribution to the problem? Are you really saying preventing MBT from playing would have been so horrendous, that would stop you watching the CFL?

**paulwoods13** · 12-04-2021, 06:47 PM

Originally Posted by jerrym

I get that you are upset but the team is more than MBT and there are more important issues than this, even if it were to cost the Argos a Grey Cup. I have been a fan since 1959 through many awful Argo teams, boneheaded management and a few players who ended up committing significant crimes. None of that changed my loyalty to the team. Human beings make mistakes, sometimes big mistakes. Every sport league, including the CFL, NFL, NHL, and NBA allowed players involved in domestic abuse to get away with no consequences for decades ever, only dealing with it when part of the fan base demanded otherwise. Blacks were not allowed to play in many sports for decades and decades and yet teams and fans rarely protested. Nearly every league ignored violations of drug enhanced performance rules for decades or stopped watching. The CFL at least gave many Blacks a chance to play when the mighty NFL would not. More recently Colin Kaepernick was blackballed and prevented from playing for taking a knee in protest to the killing of Blacks, yet most fans still watched and watch NFL games. Sports teams everywhere fly incredible number of miles without ever questioning how this affects climate change or doing the least to tackle an issue that according to the experts is going to create hundreds of millions of climate refugees, wipe many island nations and most of Bangladesh (population 160 million) off the face of the Earth through sea level rise, and quite likely make much of the Middle East uninhabitable, to say nothing of paralyzing BC through heat waves, wildfires, burnt communities, and just this month floods. Now the floods are causing major damage in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. And global warming damage is going to get much, much worse around the world. Has any sport team really tackled its contribution to the problem? Are you really saying preventing MBT from playing would have been so horrendous, that would stop you watching the CFL?

Those issues, as important as they all are, have little or no relevance to this particular issue. My words were said in a moment of anger, and probably not as measured as I'd have liked. But at the same time, if the Argos had been severely punished for doing what fans here and around the league have been demanding for years -- using MLSE's massive resources and fanbases for its other sports teams to promote its football team -- yes, I would have been furious. Clearly MBT's attendance at the game was not a case of deliberately flouting the rules (which are outdated and should have been revised to reflect changing public health directives, but that's a different issue) for personal reasons. It was done at the team's behest to drum up interest in the team and its biggest game in four years. Something we have all been wanting it to do. Someone (or multiple someones) within MLSE screwed up big time in either not realizing this was a violation, or choosing to ignore that fact. Either way, it's a big screwup for which those responsible should be held accountable. But to then penalize the player who did what he was asked to do, and the fans who would face going to a playoff game where their team's chances of winning had been severely curtailed, would have been too much to just shrug off. I've lost a lot of my love of the league in recent years because it is not close to what made me fall in love with it -- a more exciting, wide-open brand of football than is played down south -- and because it is so badly run, with nine franchises all seeming to act solely out of self-interest rather than toward the common good. Doesn't mean I don't still love the Argos. (And for the record, I expect I will continue to love the Argos even if they end up playing in a different league. I would hate to leave the CFL, but in some ways the CFL left me quite a few years ago. Maybe it can return to the fast-paced, action-packed game of the 1980s and '90s, but I'm not seeing much evidence the league actually wants to make the type of changes that would be needed to achieve that.)

**AngeloV** · 12-03-2021, 12:25 PM

If he was there on the request of the team, I'm guessing these are nothing but mind games being played by the Argos leading up to the game. Guessing today's practice is closed being the last one before the game (tomorrow is just a walk through). This would make the Ti-Cats have to prepare for a different type of QB in Pipkin as well as MBT. I will believe he isn't playing when I see it.

**Mightygoose** · 12-03-2021, 12:27 PM

If this is true then how can this oversight happen? It's a lose-lose situation.

Go with the rules: We're significant underdogs and it may cost us the season

Make an exception: The optics look bad as the league is giving different rules to the Argos

**argofan81** · 12-03-2021, 01:08 PM

Does anyone have a link as to what the actual league CFL protocols are? I know at the beginning of the year you basically were not allowed to go anywhere vaccinated or not but I *think* there were changes during the season if the players were fully vaccinated. Not trying to say that MBT didn’t break protocols, just curious as to what the actual protocols are?

**Will** · 12-03-2021, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by argofan81

Does anyone have a link as to what the actual league CFL protocols are? I know at the beginning of the year you basically were not allowed to go anywhere vaccinated or not but I *think* there were changes during the season if the players were fully vaccinated. Not trying to say that MBT didn’t break protocols, just curious as to what the actual protocols are?

Good question. The provincial protocols have certainly evolved, but I don't think the league ever amended them.

**ArgoGabe22** · 12-03-2021, 01:43 PM

Nothing wrong with an altercation at a bar/restaurant though, if you're a Rider.

**shayman** · 12-03-2021, 01:46 PM

Hmm, I wonder how the league found out.

https://twitter.com/speedybanks87/st...50657273151490

Wow when I tried to go to raptors game the @cfl told me I couldn’t go ! I ain’t snitching but shit fishy ! #Protocol #tier1 https://t.co/iVuowKAPI1
— brandon banks (@speedybanks87) December 3, 2021

**SkalbaniasGhost** · 12-03-2021, 02:07 PM

Jacob Ruby and the CFLPA have got to be watching this situation intently.
Does Randy take the fall for this?

**Jon Gonzo** · 12-03-2021, 02:21 PM

Just test the guy for heavens sake! Complete non-sense to risk a teams whole seasons' effort on something that means absolutely nothing, should he test negative. If he tested positive, well that's a whole new story. We have the technology and know-how to make this go away. There's a solution if the the League and CFLPA are brave enough to find it. If they don't, to me, its time for Ambrosie to go away.

**matthew** · 12-03-2021, 02:59 PM

Oh just let the guy drive on the left side of the road until he head-ons someone! All good till then right?

Originally Posted by Jon Gonzo

Just test the guy for heavens sake! Complete non-sense to risk a teams whole seasons' effort on something that means absolutely nothing, should he test negative. If he tested positive, well that's a whole new story. We have the technology and know-how to make this go away. There's a solution if the the League and CFLPA are brave enough to find it. If they don't, to me, its time for Ambrosie to go away.

**Jon Gonzo** · 12-03-2021, 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by matthew

Oh just let the guy drive on the left side of the road until he head-ons someone! All good till then right?

No, cos that is dangerous and could cost a life. Testing proves this safe. There is no test that proves driving on the wrong side of the road will ever be safe. No harm in testing players when we can. Safety first.

**AngeloV** · 12-03-2021, 02:27 PM

I'm sure the fact that he was there at the request of his owners will play a big part in him being allowed to play on Sunday. He wasn't being reckless just for the sake of being reckless. He was doing something his owners requested, so he really should not be punished for this. Again, I guarantee (not a Patrick Levels guarantee though) that he will play.

**Wobbler** · 12-03-2021, 02:34 PM

"McLeod Bethel-Thompson, four other Argos must quarantine two days, record negative PCR test to play East Final".

Medically reasonable, but it sounds like the league is bending its own rules. I don't expect that to go over well outside of Toronto.

**matthew** · 12-03-2021, 03:01 PM

Us making the 2012 100th Grey Cup engendered copious amounts of conspiracy theories that of course were unwarranted.

This however, is a bit more cut and dried and you're right, outside of the city the sentiment is sure to be "I guess its Toronto's world and we're just playing in it"

Originally Posted by Wobbler

"McLeod Bethel-Thompson, four other Argos must quarantine two days, record negative PCR test to play East Final".

Medically reasonable, but it sounds like the league is bending its own rules. I don't expect that to go over well outside of Toronto.