Edmonton Elks fire president, GM and manager after ‘strangely tough’ season

Key takeaways: 

• ‘The prior 18 months have been an unusually challenging time,’ the CFL club states.
• The Edmonton Elks sacked manager Jamie Elizondo, general manager Brock Sunderland and CEO Chris Presson Monday.

Edmonton Elks fired Jamie Elizondo and Chris Presson: 

The Edmonton Elks swept house Monday, sacking its team president, general manager and manager.

The football club’s board of directors concluded the agreements of president and CEO Chris Presson, general manager and vice-president of football works Brock Sunderland and manager Jaime Elizondo, active instantly.

“The past 18 months have been an exceptionally challenging time for our organization, but none more so than for its fans, season seat holders and the community,” the club stated in a press release. Source – cbc.ca

The club triumphed only three of its 14 matches this season, with none of the victories coming in presence of fans at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

“After significant discussion and consideration, the board of directors determined that our significant on- and off-field problems require changes at the senior leadership level to rectify the shortcomings and rebuild the trust and confidence of the Elks fans and the community,” Ian Murray, chair of the board of directors, spoke at a press conference Monday. Source – cbc.ca

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The board is seeking a fresh CEO, which it expects to have in position by the close of January, and a general manager to be called before the end of 2021 so the team is planned for the opening of free agency in February.

The board has appointed long-time CFL player, coach, GM and executive Wally Buono to discuss and guide the club in selecting a new general manager, Murray stated.

“We are set to give this community the competitive team long-time loyal fans have been accustomed to throughout this proud franchise’s history,” stated Allan Watt, the team’s executive director of marketing, who has been elected interim chief operating director. Source – cbc.ca