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And the players are reasonably asking, great, what’s in it for us?

“I’m hopeful things will get done,” said Solomon Elimimian, the former Lion, current Roughrider linebacker who’s on the union’s negotiating committee. “We’re going to keep working to a get a fair deal for the players that represents Canadians and Americans. We want to be a partner in that. We want to see how we can grow the game. We want our voices heard.”

The sticking points, for the most part, are issues most working stiffs can relate to. The players want expanded health care, specifically for long-term injuries. They want some way to share in the new-found riches Ambrosie has promised. They want a raise in the minimum wage.

Beyond that, the most delicate matter concerns the player ratio.

There’s a reason the league has suggested a reduction in the number of Canadian starters from seven to five and, shockingly, it concerns money. Quarterbacks aside, Canadian starters tend to be the highest-paid players in the league. Lessen their number and you lessen their impact on the payroll.

It’s believed this change also has support among some of the American members of the bargaining committee.

But wherever they go from here, Ambrosie and the league has to get this done and they have to do it in a way which gives the players a stake in the league.

He’s talked a big game about their shared future. It’s time to play it.

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images

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