Good move, CFL!

Allowing Ottawa Redblacks lineman Jon Gott to grab a beer on the sidelines from his girlfriend, chug it and smash the can on his helmet garnered lots of attention. At the time it fell legally within the CFL’s celebration rules, so Gott wasn’t penalized. Indeed, his original routine was lauded by good-timers across North America.

But the league and its teams decided such a celebration — if it were copied repeatedly — could set a bad example, particularly for younger fans. So any celebration mimicking drug or alcohol use has henceforth been declared illegal.

It’s not prudish to suggest the CFL got this right. Pot and alcohol are legal in Canada, so recommending responsible intake is fine. But let’s continue being mindful of the issues surrounding their misuse — such as addictions and impaired driving — and not encourage community idols like CFL players to glorify their use.