TORONTO — It wasn’t enough to immediately end Randy Ambrosie’s tenure as CFL commissioner, but it was clear things were on the wall.

Ambrose announced Saturday that he will retire from his position in 2025 after his successor is chosen. Ambrosie became the 14th commissioner of the CFL on July 5, 2017, succeeding Jeffrey Orridge.

His tenure of over seven years is the second longest ever behind the late Jake Gaudaur (1968-84).

Ambrosie’s decision was surprising given that last year, during his annual Gray Cup speech, Ambrosie was adamant that he had no immediate plans to step down. It was widely understood that the 61-year-old from Winnipeg — a former CFL offensive lineman in Calgary, Toronto and Edmonton from 1985 to 1993 — would remain on the job at least until the 2026 season, when league broadcast have expired.

But league sources said earlier this month that the league’s board of governors had voted on Ambrosie’s future. They said seven or more teams needed to vote in favor of removing Ambrosie for it to become official.

This did not happen. But according to sources, the vote was still 5-4, a clear indication that Ambrosie did not have the full support of the board.

And a major reason for that, according to sources, was that league distributions – the money the league distributes to its teams through its partnerships and sponsorships – failed to meet the governors’ expectations.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the league had not publicly revealed details of the leadership vote. Ambrosie declined to comment when asked about Saturday’s vote.

Calgary Stampeders president Jay McNeil said earlier this week that he felt Ambrosie did well in his role overall.

“Randy is certainly a great ambassador for this league and he’s done a good job in some pretty tough times,” McNeil said. “When you look at his tenure, he’s faced layoffs throughout his tenure as commissioner, including the pandemic, which is incredibly difficult.”

With Ambrosie set to resign, the big question remains who will succeed him. Whoever does so will have to come to a new broadcast agreement, and shortly afterward, the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the CFL Players’ Association can be reopened.

McNeil said the next CFL commissioner will need to know more than just football.

“He needs to have a strong business background, because that’s really what it’s about as we begin our 2027 negotiations and look to grow,” McNeil said. “We are not the only team looking to grow their ticket base.

“We all are. Having a strong business background will be important.”

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-Donna Spencer in Calgary contributed to this report.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 31, 2024.