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“We’ve offered the support of the players on this,” said CFL Players Association executive director Brian Ramsay. “As 2.0 goes global, we can’t see better ambassadors for our game than some of the stars of the show now. Some of our players actually reside in some of these countries in the off-season, so it makes sense from our point of view to have the players involved and they would happily do so. We had chatted about it before (with the CFL). We haven’t talked about it recently.”

Granted, there are other issues of import on the table now. The CFLPA filed a grievance after the league prevented veteran players from signing NFL practice roster agreements in the off-season. On Monday, Ramsay said the two sides are making progress on the issue but he would not offer details.

Ambrosie has made a point of stressing that players, coaches and alumni will be brought into the CFL’s big tent in a more meaningful way than ever before. If that’s the case, the league could have started with the players and 2.0. The CFLPA supports the initiative, and its members stand to gain financially from its success.

“We’ve bought into this,” said Ramsay. “The league is taking this approach, and part of this conversation is saying how can we have as much success as possible. With CFL 2.0 and the global push, if we’re going to go down this road, then everyone has to be in it to find ways to set up for success. There is no point not doing that.

“Coming out of bargaining, there is value for the players. Part of what was negotiated is tied into the success of 2.0, so from the players’ perspective, how can we help grow it? That’s what I’m saying.”

He understands and supports the league’s desire to limit costs associated with 2.0, so he isn’t raising too much of a fuss over the exclusion of players this time. But the league and the players have to act more like partners on everything going forward.

“This is the first year. If this is going to be what everyone hopes is an annual event, we should have our players part of this and telling their story,” said Ramsay.

dbarnes@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/sportsdanbarnes