Former CFL star Doug Flutie feels commissioner Ambrosie's pain

Doug Flutie can feel CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie's pain.

But no decision has been made to cancel the entire 2020 season. That's not a surprise given the impact such a move would have on the CFL, which is a gate-driven league.

Flutie, 57, knows that all too well, having spent eight of his 21 seasons as a pro quarterback in Canada (1990-97).

"I think all of the leagues are struggling with that right now and all of them want to be on the field," Flutie said during a telephone interview. "Obviously, the CFL is very dependant on the gate, on the ticket sales.

"I don't know enough to be able to say whether it can happen or not but even if it's a reduced season and you start late, you've got to do something to maintain that fan base, obviously salaries and everything else. That league works year to year. They're dependant on [ticket] sales coming in to pay bills."

Gate-driven league

"Major League Baseball could play in front of an empty house and still be all right because of their TV contract," he said. "But the CFL, you need the ticket sales and people buying beer at the stadium and everything else.

"I don't know what the answer is, it's the same everywhere. It's the same for the guy who owns the pizza place down the street. He's fighting to find a way to make ends meet, doing takeout and delivery only, curbside, he's delivering to areas he never delivered to before ... you've got to find ways."

Flutie found success north of the border

Flutie enjoyed a stellar tenure in Canada with the B.C. Lions (1990-91), Calgary Stampeders (1992-95) and Toronto Argonauts (1996-97) before returning to the NFL with the Buffalo Bills. The five-foot-10, 181-pound former Heisman Trophy winner from Boston College was the CFL's outstanding player six times, won three Grey Cups and was named the game MVP each time.

In 2007, Flutie became the first non-Canadian elected to Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and the following year was a first-ballot selection into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Flutie was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.

"I say this all the time, the CFL put the joy of playing football back into football for me," Flutie said. "Every time I'm up there for something, it's just a big, warm hug and I love those years."

Credit to the coaches

Flutie said the longer, wider field and passing nature of Canadian football were both good fits for him. But he also credited his coaches for allowing him to do what he did best.

"I think the No. 1 reason I was successful is the coaches I played for realized my strengths and left me alone," he said. "They put me in a position to be successful and said, 'Hey this what you do well, go.'"

Flutie was given carte blanche by head coach Don Matthews upon his arrival in Toronto, where he won his final two Grey Cups.

"Don was the all-timer for that," Flutie said. "He was like, 'Doug, this is your football team. If you throw five interceptions, guess what? You're going to have a chance to throw six, you're not coming out.'

"That just made me more confident on the field and never looking over my shoulder and being afraid to take a risk or anything like that."