'It's unacceptable': Fight to keep SFU football program alive ramps up

The fight to keep Simon Fraser University’s football program alive is heating up.

On Tuesday, the school announced it was discontinuing the program effective immediately, citing challenges to find a conference to play in once the upcoming 2023 season is over.

The decision has been met with significant backlash from former Red Leafs football players.

SFU Football Alumni Society president Mark Bailey says he spoke to the school’s president, Joy Johnson, by email as recently as March 28, but was given no indication that the program was coming to an end.

“Definitely blindsided and, to be honest, insulted,” Bailey told CTV News.

“Considering we’ve had long rapport, we’ve had good rapport with the university…To be cut out of any communication seems strange and bizarre,” he continued.

Despite being told by the Lone Star Conference that it would be ending its relationship with the university after the upcoming 2023 season, SFU was still slated to play the conference, before ultimately pulling the plug this week.

“I don’t think there’s been a fair explanation given to the players and families,” Bailey said.

The alumni society has started a petition to restore the program by May 1. As of Wednesday night, it had received around 5,000 signatures.

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=74xl2ZICUkKZJWRC3iSkSwk2SXAqMylJo_dAoGUtY_NUNFQzSTRVTzlBOFgyMUdIRzJGM1FDUjM3WS4u

Bailey says there’s also a group forming a plan to take legal action.

“Things will come forth and you’ll see things unravel over the next week,” he said.

"‘IT’S UNACCEPTABLE’

B.C. Lions owner Amar Doman has also been outspoken on the matter.

“I think the players and athletic department and players are devastated,” he said

“Also being told just weeks ago that everything was in motion—‘We’re good to go for (20)23!’—then to just have this come out is appalling,” he continued.

Doman also pointed to the recent, sizeable upgrades the university completed to its football facilities.

“In a school like SFU to have put in close to $5 million on fields and training facilities recently—we just brought back the Shrum Bowl—these sort of things just don’t make sense,” Doman said.

He says the Lions plan to step in to try and salvage this season and beyond.

“We’re going to be doing some things now, getting into discussions hopefully with SFU directly to see what we can do to support to salvage (20)23 and then talk about (20)24 and beyond,” said Doman.

Asked to response to the outrage over its decision to cancel the football program, SFU provided a statement to CTV News, saying it was important to the university that those impacted by this news were told about the decision first.

"In the coming months, SFU Athletics will engage with the SFU football community on how best to honour the more than 50 years of history in this sport," the statement concluded