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What would happen if CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie went on the Dragons’ Den TV show and tried to sell the Alouettes?

That’s a question I put to Vincenzo Guzzo, the president and CEO of Cinémas Guzzo and one of the dragons on the CBC reality-TV show where Canadian entrepreneurs pitch business and investment ideas to a panel of venture capitalists (dragons) in the hope of securing financing and partnerships.

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“My reaction would be there’s a lot of work here and because it’s a product that’s in my community I’d consider putting in the effort to turning the team around and actually making the deal,” Guzzo said during a phone interview Monday night. “But, for example, if this was a team in another country, let’s say, I wouldn’t even look at it twice. If it wasn’t for the fact that I’m a Montrealer, I wouldn’t even look at this deal after I saw what I saw.”

Photo by John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette

Guzzo was one of three Montreal businessmen whose interest in actually buying the Alouettes went public before the CFL finally announced last Friday it had taken over the team from owner Bob Wetenhall and his son, Andrew, who was co-owner and lead governor. The other two interested businessmen were Clifford Starke and former Alouettes player Éric Lapointe. Guzzo didn’t get into details about what he saw or didn’t see from a financial standpoint about the Alouettes and added he was approached by the CFL about the possibility of buying the team. It has been reported the Alouettes lost $50 million since Wetenhall purchased the club in 1997, including $25 million over the last three years and $12.5 million last season.