The CFL's second-in-command will be moving on in 2016, but he won't be going far. League president and chief operating officer Michael Copeland will be taking over as the Toronto Argonauts' president and chief executive officer as of January 1, 2016 as part of the change to new ownership. The team announced the move Monday, and it's an interesting one on a few levels. For one thing, it continues the change in the league office under new commissioner Jeffery Orridge. For another, it adds to the moves the new owners (Bell and Larry Tanenbaum's Kilmer Group) are making in advance of their official takeover on December 31; they've also already announced extensions for GM Jim Barker and head coach Scott Milanovich. There are plenty of questions here, including if Copeland or Orridge initiated this, how Copeland's replacement in the CFL office will do, and how he'll do running the Argonauts.

The question of whose choice this was doesn't really have a clear answer from the outside. It's quite possible Copeland was looking for a new opportunity; he's been the league's COO since 2006 and was promoted to president and COO in 2013, but declined to seek the commissioner's job last fall. It's also possible Orridge was looking to bring in his own guy in the second-in-command role. Perhaps this was a combination of both. In any case, it makes some sense for both parties; Copeland gets to take on a new challenge, while Orridge gets to put more of his own stamp on the league office. How will it work out for both, though?



Copeland's replacement in the league office will have substantial shoes to fill. He's been heavily involved in many of the CFL's biggest moves over the years, including the 2013 TV deal (for 2014-18) and its recent extension (through 2021), the CBA negotiations (for 2014-2018), the implementation of a salary cap and the recent plans to move the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. While there are potential quibbles with all of those moves, and ways they could be improved, they've worked out quite well for the CFL overall. Copeland's departure takes away some of the league's high-level institutional memory, too, and that could be a problem. Fortunately, with the CBA and the TV deal both set for years to come, his replacement will be able to learn on the job a bit before the next really important negotiation, and there should be capable candidates out there interested in replacing him, given how strong of a foundation the league's on right now. Still, living up to what Copeland's done in this role will be a challenge.

Meanwhile, Copeland will face a significant challenge of his own; making the Argonauts relevant in Toronto. The success of this franchise is one of the most pressing issues facing the CFL, and one that's certainly not guaranteed to end well. Fortunately, Copeland will have a lot of help, as this team will now have deep-pocketed ownership with a substantial interest in making this work long-term (especially on Bell's end, given their involvement with the league through the TV deal), plus a new home at BMO Field that should be much more favourable to them than the Rogers Centre was. They also should have some stability on the personnel side thanks to the extensions of Barker and Milanovich. Still, selling the Argos to Toronto fans isn't an easy task, as even tremendous on-field successes such as the 2012 Grey Cup victory haven't produced big attendance boosts. Copeland is also replacing an extremely capable salesman, former Canadian Olympic Committee CEO Chris Rudge (whose contract ends at the end of the year). He may do very well here, and his replacement at the league office may also do well, but there are steep hills ahead for both. We'll see how it plays out.