Jonathan Rose should not get to play in the 106th Grey Cup.
Rose tried to go through an official in Sunday’s East Final to get an opposing player after a flagrant rough play and then grabbed hold of a helmet of a Hamilton player as he went off the rails.
The CFL has set a clear precedent that any abuse of an official is a suspension and that was their ruling on Tuesday, only to be met with an appeal by the Canadian Football League Players Association. The CFLPA has to appeal when requested to do so by the player and this is Rose and the Redblacks playing the system in place.
They know the league can’t rule on an appeal in time for Sunday, so Rose will get to play and likely miss week one of the CFL’s 2019 season for something he did in the East Final the season previous.
Rose broke a rule, the precedent is set, albeit not with the Grey Cup at stake.
It was a tough decision for the CFL, but they made the right call, whether Rose gets to play in the game or not.