CFL taking ownership of Montreal Alouettes: source

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The Canadian Press

Montreal Alouettes head coach Mike Sherman talks to the players during a practice in Montreal on Monday, May 27, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

MONTREAL -- A source has told The Canadian Press that the CFL has taken ownership of the Montreal Alouettes.

The source said the move was effective Friday.

The league has been looking for potential buyers for the franchise this off-season, and the source says it will continue to do so. There is no timetable as to how long the league will own the Alouettes.

The CFL has maintained that American businessman Robert Wetenhall remains in control of the franchise he's owned since 1997, but the persistent talk has been that the league is involved in trying to find a new buyer for the franchise.

Former Alouettes player Eric Lapointe has stated he could put together an ownership group if approached, but there are serious questions regarding whether he ever contacted. In April, Montreal businessman Clifford Starke publicly stated his intention to purchase the Alouettes, but it remains unclear exactly where that situation stands.

And there was a report that Montreal entrepreneur Vince Guzzo, former CFL head coach/GM Danny Maciocia - now the head coach at the University of Montreal - and commissioner Randy Ambrosie were all seen sitting together at a restaurant, putting Guzzo in the potential ownership mix.

Wetenhall resurrected the Alouettes in 1997 after they were revoked from Michael Gelfand and declared bankruptcy. Wetenhall also assumed the organization's debts despite not legally being obligated to do so.

Early in Wetenhall's tenure, the Alouettes were a CFL powerhouse. From 1999 to 2012, they finished atop the East Division nine times and advanced to the Grey Cup on eight occasions, winning three.

But Montreal hasn't been to the Grey Cup since winning it in 2010. The club has missed the CFL playoffs the past four seasons, amassing a dismal 21-51 record over that span.

Wetenhall was a former part-owner of the Boston Patriots (AFL) and New England Patriots (NFL). In 2011, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from McGill University for his work with the Alouettes and expansion of Percival Molson Stadium.

He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Lapointe, 44, twice captured the Hec Crighton Trophy as Canadian university football's top player while at Mount Allison. He went on to spend eight CFL seasons as a running back Edmonton, Hamilton, Toronto and Montreal, playing six of those campaigns with the Alouettes through 2006.

Lapointe was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2012 and now works in wealth management.

Starke, 35, has acted as a consultant, adviser and/or director to more than 15 publicly listed companies.

Brad Smith, a former CFL receiver with the Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Eskimos, is a consultant with Starke's potential ownership group.