Thanks to all of the fans who submitted questions for Commissioner Mark Cohon. We received quite a few questions and will be posting the Commissioner's answers over the course of the next several days. Please check back to CFL.ca to see the answer to your question.
 
Here are the next 10 questions and answers:

Please Note: No new questions will be answered after this point, so please save them for our next Q and A with the Commissioner.

1. I have only one problem with the TSN broadcasts. After a player makes a big play and returns to the bench the sideline camera does not just follow him for a quick comment but almost seems to stalk him for about 2 plays later. Otherwise awesome show, keep it up.

I’ll pass your concern onto our partners at TSN. And I agree: while there will always be imperfections in any thing we humans do, TSN is doing an awesome job.

2. Hi Mark, I would like to suggest that the CFL get rid of the 5 yard restraining rule and adopt the Fair Catch rule. I am tired of seeing the penalty flag fly and the no-yards penalty applied after virtually every kick-off and punt. Players seem to ignore the 5-yards restraining area and go after the receiver anyway to prevent a long return for a touchdown. American players cannot remember to stop and wait 5 yards from the receiver after running full speed down the field and it is difficult to judge whether a player is 5 yards away from the receiver anyway. I think it should be up to the receiver to call for a fair catch and down the ball at the spot he receives it or use his speed and agility to avoid the downfield tacklers and run the ball back to get better field position for his team. I would like to see this rule change discussed at the next meeting of the owners. What do you think? Take care, Ti-Cats 22

Hi Ti-Cats 22, and congrats on your team’s resurgence this year. Rule changes are considered by our Rules Committee, and your suggestion was one of the ones made by fans last year. I feel compelled to add, though, there were as least as many fans who argued against a Fair Catch. You asked what I think so I won’t duck the question: I tend to be a bit of traditionalist about rules that make our game different, and I’m not a big fan, personally, of the Fair Catch.

3. Mark: I loved this interview - I think you are doing a fabulous job as Commissioner. I am interested in your comments about small fields. As a season ticket holder in Rider Nation I agree that the smaller stadiums generate excitement to the game. But what do you do about markets like Toronto (where once upon a time I was a season ticket holder) where there just doesn't seem to be the interest?

I’m not sure if you’re saying there isn’t interest in the Argos, or interest in the Argos moving to a smaller venue. I believe there’s plenty of interest in the Argos here in Toronto. There is tremendous competition here for entertainment dollars and media interest, but the Argos have a large and committed following. They’ve considered trying to move to a smaller venue from time to time, but are committed to Rogers Centre for now. Most people around the league would agree the atmosphere at Mosaic Stadium is something really special, but I can tell you as someone lucky enough to visit all of our stadiums: the CFL atmosphere is fun across the league. 

4. Commissioner, why does the CFL still not have a video game? There's been a lot of discussion about it for a decade now, but still nothing. When can CFL fans expect to finally see one?

I’d love to see one. In fact, I’d love to play one. Unfortunately, video game makers advise us that it costs millions to develop state-of-the-art video games and it would be virtually impossible for them to recoup that investment in a market the size of Canada. Let’s hope that changes as the technology evolves. We at the CFL would love to see it happen.

5. I have a few questions. I hope you'll be able to answer them all :) 1. Why is there a bye week? Two bye weeks, really. I feel like it sort of slows down the momentum. 2. Why can't the Toronto grounds crew vacuum up the dirt on the field? I know that sounds like a joke, but I am serious. It makes it look second-rate. (And Rod Black keeps getting distracted.) 3. Why can't the penalty for an unsuccessful video review make sense? Taking away the only timeout seems rather harsh. Why not just apply a delay of game penalty? It makes more sense, especially if a team has used its timeout in the third quarter - then they can't challenge at all! 4. Is there any chance in the future that the referee will be "miked", the way they do in international rugby? I realize there is an issue of players using non-family-style language nearby, but I'm sure you could impose penalties for that which would curb it significantly. I just think it would be nice to have some insight into some of the calls. 5. I have heard some people asking that the quarterbacks be counted towards the import/non-import ratio, in order to encourage teams to draft Canadian quarterbacks. Is there any chance of that happening? An alternative might be to require the #3 QB to be Canadian on every team. Obviously that would be something you would phase in. But it seems workable to me. 6. As the top dog of the CFL, please do something about Rod Black! I know you don't run TSN, but you must have some influence! The guy ruins every game he calls. He often gets bored with the game before halftime, and doesn't seem to have a grasp on the concept of the game as a whole. He is constantly talking - rarely about the action on the field - and it really does take away from the game. If TSN must keep him on (for whatever reason), can you at least talk them into a SAP feed of just the stadium sounds? Thanks for fielding questions, that's another innovative and awesome thing you are doing for this league (much the same way as you did taking input from fans on the rules). You are a breath of fresh air and I love what you are doing with OUR LEAGUE :)

Thanks for the positive feedback! What you’re doing for our league – wearing our colours, buying our tickets and supporting our teams – is what really makes the difference. Lots of questions there, and good ones,  too. I’ll do my best to answer them. 1. The bye week may feel like a slowdown to a passionate fan like you, but for our teams they represent a chance to heal injuries, and catch their breath for the first time since camp opened back in June. 2. I won’t speak for Rod Black, but I’m sure the Argos would prefer a clean field for their games.  It can be tough, however, to quickly convert multi-use facilities that house baseball teams, and concerts, as well as football teams. 3. Your idea on penalizing unsuccessful video reviews has some merit. We’re tough on this issue because we want games to be entertaining, and that means keeping them moving. (This year, our games have been a little shorter, by the way, in part because of our more efficient, centralized Command Centre for video review.) 4. Mic’ing an official for a “sounds of the game” feature might be fun. I’ll bring it up with TSN and our Director of Officiating Tom Higgins. I believe we could deal with the concern you mentioned by using an edited version that omits any offensive language. (I’m told some of the stuff that is said on the field can be quite funny; every official has a story he’ll tell you over a Pepsi or a beer, if you’re lucky.) 5. There are ongoing discussions about how we can encourage the development of Canadian quarterbacks, including some of the ideas you’ve mentioned. Coaches tell me American kids tend to take up the game earlier, and play more, so a solution may have as much to do with supporting grass roots, amateur football as it does with roster or rule changes. But I’d love to see a Canadian excel at our most important position the way Russ Jackson did, and I’m sure it’s something we’ll continue to look at. 6. You and I clearly share a passion for our league. Your questions are testament to that. But we disagree on Rod Black. I think he does a difficult job very, very well. In this job, I get the chance to do live television from time to time, and I can tell you, it’s tougher than it looks. These guys are pros, and Rod is one of the best!  

6. Perhaps off topic but a question none the less. Why aren't teams allowed to place a player on the nine game injury list retroactive to the date of injury? In some cases it takes weeks to fully understand the severity of the injury.

Not off topic at all.  Our rules don’t allow for that right now, but it is worth discussing. Generally, we try to find the balance between providing our teams with flexibility and making sure the salary cap is real and enforceable. Placing a player on the nine game injury list means his salary for that period doesn’t count against the cap.

7. Mr Cohon, first of all I have to applaud your efforts for the time you have been in charge. You have portrayed a united front and brought a positive attitude to this great league. I understand there are always going to be challenges in this gate driven league, but with time and hopefully expansion, this league will even become stronger. The only comment I might have that has a little negative overtone might be to one of the facts i applauded you for. After watching your interview, which i always check out on the video blog here on CFL.ca, I’ve come to surmise that your initial answer about the state of the league is ALWAYS the same. Very positive, very upbeat, but almost very hokey, howdy doody like, I guess I would like to see you answer that type of question with some meat and potatoes answers, not just the sky is blue type of answers. Give us the facts, that’s all. We do need to expand. Good luck and again, great job.

Thanks.  (I think… LOL.) Here are some facts: Our attendance is averaging about 28,000 a game. That number is on par with last year, equal to our best since 1983. That’s really remarkable, since the economy fell into recession since this past year, and many pundits expected us to take a severe hit at the gate. It’s a testament to the dedication of our fans, which are the source of my optimism. Our television ratings are also strong. We’re averaging 392,000 viewers a game, up slightly from a year ago, and generally second in this country only to hockey.  It is tougher this year, in a recession and with an Olympics in our backyard, to reach new national partnership agreements with major corporations, although we’ve had some successes, and our local teams are signing new sponsorship deals. Most importantly, all of our franchises are stable. But I’d like to see them all very profitable, which remains one of our primary goals. All in all, though, as we work towards our one hundredth Grey Cup game in 2012, I think there’s reason to be positive.

8. The Mayor of Windsor expressed his interest in having a CFL team, will you ignore interest from other parts of the country while waiting for an expansion Eastern entry. Also, if you told cities such as Quebec that you had a potential owner for a CFL team, would they show more interest in building a stadium.

Our Board of Governors will consider expansion interest from cities with two things: serious prospective owners, with a strong, long-term commitment to our league and deep financial resources, and an appropriate stadium to play in. Those conditions – strong ownership and an appropriate stadium – have to be in place before we can discuss other factors, such as expansion fees, strength of market, and revenue projections. I’d love to expand beyond Ottawa, but it’s our job to make sure our enthusiasm for expansion doesn’t override our basic business sense. Ultimately, we owe that to our existing franchises, our fans, and our league. 

9. Commissioner, as a long time fan from the states, Baltimore area, are there any plans at all to return to the south? Areas like Syracuse, Erie and Rochester as well as Portland, Oregon would seem to be interesting as they don't have NFL teams there. I love the game; just wish that there was better coverage down here. Once the NFL season starts, coverage here evaporates.

Our Baltimore fans are tremendous, and we love seeing them (you?) at Grey Cup every year. But I think it’s fair to say the success in Baltimore was not matched in other U.S. cities, and expansion to the states was not a success overall. We have no plans to expand to the U.S. I do share, however, your desire to have our games more available to our American fans.

10. I have one question when is there going to be an all star CFL football game, and like the fact that CFL is a fan base league . And I live in the US .

The CFL did have an all-star game, before my time. In fact, there was a time when the Grey Cup champ played a team of all-stars during the pre-season. Bringing back an All-Star game hasn’t been a priority for our league in recent years . It would have to make sense, from a football and business point of view. Coaches worry about injury, of course, and an additional game would have to be approved by our teams and our players, as part of our collective bargaining agreement with the players’ association. As a fan, I like the idea, although I’m a bit bored with all-star games in other sports where no one seems to really try, at least on defence. As Commissioner, though, I tend to think we have more pressing issues to deal with. But if our fans really wanted one...