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“(The football-operations cap) is a positive step as a league and the league is working together to do some things that make it better for everyone,” Hopson said.

“The salary cap on players had a big impact on providing a more level playing field. You look at the number of teams that have won the Grey Cup in the last number of years since we put the cap in and it has made a difference.”

The cap on football operations was installed as the league and CFL Players’ Association head into negotiations on a new collective-bargaining agreement.

The players are believed to be seeking a boost in the salary cap, improvements in workers’ compensation, and raising the league’s minimum salary (currently $54,000).

“This year we’re going to have a big challenge with the players and the CBA and understandably so,” Hopson said.

Hopson offers a unique perspective of the CFL because he was a player and a member of the Riders’ executive before taking over as the president-CEO.

While serving in the latter capacity, Hopson helped the Roughriders set the foundation for one of the league’s most successful franchises, which posted record-level profits.

The Riders went to four Grey Cup games under Hopson’s guidance, winning it all in 2007 and 2013. He also appeared for Saskatchewan in the 1976 Grey Cup, which was his final game as a CFL offensive lineman.

“I still look at the game from a player’s point of view a lot of the time,” Hopson said. “I think about these young guys coming up here and playing for $54,000 and the kind of commitment it takes. We have to look at that.