Roughriders given grades in report card from players

The Saskatchewan Roughriders were not only the top team in the CFL on the field last year, but they were also considered among the top teams off the field as well.

In the CFL Players’ Association’s second annual club report card, which was unveiled on Wednesday, the 2025 Grey Cup champions ranked near the top of the league along with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats when it came to a player’s sentiment about their current workplace environment.

Overall, Saskatchewan had one A (team travel), four A-minus’ (coaching staff, football operations, strength and conditioning, training camp), three Bs (ownership and business operations, facilities and equipment, therapy and medical staff), one B-minus (nutrition and diet) and one C (treatment of families).

Last year, Saskatchewan received a B in family treatment and a D-plus in nutrition and diet, which were the biggest differences compared to this year’s report card. Last off-season, Saskatchewan received an A in football operations, an A-minus in management and administration and Bs in training and medical staff, equipment, team travel and training camp.

“Strength and conditioning staff really levelled up,” wrote one anonymous Roughrider in this year’s report.

“Great improvements in nutrition, coaching, family events, strength training, so many improvements,” said another.

It wasn’t all good feedback though as there was some negativity when it came to player appearances in the community.

“Issues with community appearance money. Issues with multiple players,” wrote one player.

“Appearances were not offered at the rate expected, very slow,” added another.

A total of 381 players answered anonymously to the 78-question survey this year, which was distributed online to all players on CFL rosters. According to the CFLPA, the survey included various questions including multiple choice, rating, and open-ended questions in the 10 categories listed.

Questions about the coaching staff involved relationships with the coaches, team activity scheduling and adherence to the collective bargaining agreement when it comes to practice structure.

When it came to football operations, players were asked about their relationship with management, which included contract negotiations, while ownership and business operations questions were about relationship with the team president plus access to off-field things like housing, work permits and player appearances.

Players were asked about the current state of their workplace in the facilities and equipment category with questions about facility conditions and if they paid any necessary football equipment that wasn’t provided by the club like mouth guards, cleats and gloves. Players were also asked about helmet options and condition of equipment given.

In the therapy and medical staff category, players were asked about number of staff, when they were available and the quality of care they received. Strength and conditioning questions were about the quality of the provided workout programs and the availability and expertise of the strength and conditioning coach.

When it came to nutrition and diet, players provided insight on what meals their club provides, the quality of those meals and if they had to pay for those meals. Team travel questions were about quality of travel arrangements and timing of flights to allow for proper recovery.

The training camp category included questions about accommodations, meals, rest and recovery along with if the team was adhering to the collective bargaining agreement standards.

And lastly, players were asked about treatment of families, which included questions about services and support for partners and children from housing to childcare to medical services. Players were also asked about game day facilities for families.

The CFLPA says the report card “presents valuable insights, provided by players, about their respective clubs to not only assist one another in making informed free agency decisions but also to contribute to raising standards for conditions across the league.”

Last year, a couple of Roughriders commented about the medical staff as well as the food, as it appears the club took that into consideration based on the higher grade this off-season.

“The nutrition and food options are pretty poor, especially at breakfast,” said one player last off-season. “Hearing other teams like Toronto has way better quality and options. Our medical team also makes it tough to book in to see them, as there are time slots and then they stop their day at a certain time and are not available after that.”

Hamilton ranked atop the league with a mix of As and Bs while the Montreal Alouettes and B.C. Lions were the only two clubs to get an F, with B.C.’s coming in nutrition and diet and Montreal’s in treatment of families.

“Family support and treatment on gamedays is non-existent and in my opinion needs the most improvement of any category,” wrote one Alouette.

“Small meals on the plane after the game,” said a B.C. Lions player. “The overall nutrition of our team is very below par and what it should be for a professional football team. This needs major improvement.”

tshire@postmedia.com

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