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Two years ago, Len Rhodes couldn’t make a public appearance, go on the radio or speak at a charity event without feeling the need to first apologize.

How things have changed for the Edmonton Eskimos president and CEO, with the club coming off a Grey Cup win in November.

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And what a difference this off-season has been like compared to the one that followed a 2013 season that saw the Eskimos finish dead last with a 4-14 record to miss playoffs for the fourth time in eight years.

And the fans, who hadn’t seen the team miss playoffs once in the entire 34 years before that, were understandably unhappy.

“Specifically, a few years ago at our annual dinner, we had unveiled some of our research results and the fans told us squarely that they weren’t happy,” recalled Rhodes. “And we didn’t deny it.

“We acknowledged the fact we knew that our fans weren’t happy and it started with us, because we weren’t happy either. The storied franchise and the history and tradition of this club is powerful, but we had lost it for a while. And not winning a Grey Cup every year is one thing, but not being a contender is unacceptable.”