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“It’s not typical for people to do it this way, bolting for another job— this usually doesn’t happen if it’s not for a family reason, especially when we’re six weeks from training camp.”

Elizondo was the Redblacks’ offensive coordinator for the past three seasons. In his first season (2016) after replacing Jason Maas (who took the head coach job in Edmonton), the Redblacks won the Grey Cup.

Before joining the Redblacks, Elizondo spent time with the Toronto Argonauts as a receivers and quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. He spent the 2008 season with the Montreal Alouettes as a receivers coach and special teams assistant.

The Redblacks’ coaching staff had been together in Ottawa all of March, game-planning for the coming season. For the guy calling the offensive plays to leave at this point is a huge smack to the side of the head.

“He had been meeting with our offensive staff so there was nothing to say he was going to leave,” said Campbell.

Elizondo had interviewed for head coaching jobs in both B.C. and Toronto in December, but may have been miffed when the Redblacks later denied him the opportunity to talk to Saskatchewan about its head coach opening when Chris Jones left for the NFL. Did that anger Elizondo?

“That’s not what he told me,” said Campbell. “We had talked about that, he said he was moving on. He was behaving like he was going to be here. He elected to leave. At the end of the day, if people don’t want to somewhere, you don’t want them to be around. It creates negative energy and you don’t want that.”