Former Argo Euclid Cummings Contract Voided By CFL Following Sexual Charges

[jerrym]

Former Argo DT Euclid Cummings, who the BC Lions signed as a free agent recently and paid a $70,000 bonus, has had his contract voided by the league and the BC Lions after sexual assault going back to 2016 when he played for Winnipeg were revealed today. However, the Lions cannot recover the signing bonus and it will count against their salary cap.



Provincial court documents show the 6-foot-3, 300-pound Atlanta native was charged last April with four criminal offences involving two alleged victims stemming from incidents in Vancouver on Oct. 16, 2016. His team at the time, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, played their regular-season finale at B.C. Place on Oct. 14, 2016.
Cummings is charged with sexual assault, assault and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm to one person, and the sexual assault of another.

The 26-year-old played 16 games the following season with the Edmonton Eskimos — his eight sacks ranking third in the CFL, his three forced fumbles second-best in the league, along with 22 tackles — but news of the charges — filed on April 21, 2017 — only surfaced Wednesday. The league and Lions were both quick to react, voiding his contract as per provisions in the collective bargaining agreement, and scrubbing his presence from their websites.
The CFL released a statement Wednesday. “Upon learning of the criminal charges facing Euclid Cummings, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie has voided his contract with the B.C. Lions. As these charges are before the courts, the CFL will offer no further comment.”

Lions general manager Ed Hervey also released a statement, and declined further comment. “We support the Commissioner’s decision to void the contract of Euclid Cummings in light of criminal charges he is currently facing. We were given no indication by the player or his representation that these charges existed and I assure our fans, partners and supporters of the CFL across Canada, that we would not have offered him a contract had we known about this situation. ...
The Canadian Press reported that Cummings had signed a $150,000 contract with the Leos, including a $70,000 bonus that B.C. can’t recoup and will be counted against their salary cap. ...

The revelation of the charges is particularly awkward, considering the Lions’ commitment to the Be More Than A Bystander campaign. Several members of the team have toured schools around the province, addressing the violence against women and girls and raising awareness of the issue.
Cummings appears in B.C. Provincial Court in Vancouver for trial on Oct. 15, 2018.


http://theprovince.com/sports/football/cfl/bc-lions/lions-release-euclid-cummings-after-learning-of-criminal-charges

[jerrym]

Bombers were aware of the police investigation into Euclid Cummings' alleged sexual assault and told the league office of the situation at the time.

http://3downnation.com/2018/03/07/bombers-aware-euclid-cummings-investigation-2016-informed-cfl/

[jerrym]

As the 3downnation article in the last post notes, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie had already taken a harder line on domestic and sexual violence than previously was the case. Last year, he refused to allow Hamilton to hire Art Briles as coach because he had been involved in sexual assault scandal at Baylor University by covering up and recruiting players who had been accused of sexual assault.
Good on him for dealing with this case so swiftly once charges were known.

[AngeloV]

If the Bombers made the league aware of the incident at the time, he should have been suspended indefinitely at that time. There is no way he should have been allowed to sign with 2 additional contracts let alone one.

[Will]

If the Bombers made the league aware of the incident at the time, he should have been suspended indefinitely at that time. There is no way he should have been allowed to sign with 2 additional contracts let alone one.

Definitely the one part of the situation that doesn't add up.

[jerrym]

Definitely the one part of the situation that doesn't add up.

Sexual misconduct in sports were often overlooked or even actively covered up in past decades as it was in the rest of society. Society is changing as seen by how Me Too is impacting many fields of endeavour. The current commissioner seems to recognize the damage that the league is likely to face if these problems are not dealt with.
The league should also have been following the case more closely so that they knew when charges were laid on April 27, 2017, rather than only discovering almost a year later that Cummings had been charged according to the league's claim.