Bo Levi Mitchell defends CFL changes: ‘This is about modernizing the game’

A day after Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke blasted the CFL’s changes as “garbage,” veteran passer Bo Levi Mitchell backed the moves as a way to push the game forward.

“This is not about Americanizing the game, this is about modernizing the game,” Mitchell, a 12-year veteran and twice the league’s outstanding player, told reporters in Hamilton on Tuesday.

“What can we do to put a better product on the field, a product that people want to watch, that’s a faster pace? This is not taking away the unique things (about the CFL).”

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback’s comments were in response to a series of sweeping changes unveiled Monday by CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston, including a shorter field in 2027 and next year doing away with singles being awarded for missed field goals that sail out of the end zone.

The moves sparked strong reactions — both for and against — from fans and players across the country.

Rourke, a star player for the B.C. Lions who spent two seasons in the NFL, was loudest, calling the shift a step toward NFL rules and lamenting that players weren’t consulted.

“What we’re moving toward is not the Canadian football game that I grew up loving, that I’m passionate about, that I came back and played,” said Rourke in one of several critical comments. “I went down and played in the NFL and I came back knowing that this is a game for me because of the uniqueness of it, what’s special about it, and we’re getting away from that.

“Frankly, makes me pretty pissed off.”

Johnston’s changes, which he said were unanimously approved by the CFL’s Board of Governors, will roll out in a two-year plan.

Next season, the league will introduce a modified rouge disallowing teams from scoring a single off a missed field goal and a 35-second automatic reset on the play clock. Team benches will also be on opposite sides of all CFL fields.

In 2027, the goalposts will be moved to the back of the end zone, which will be shortened from 20 to 15 yards. The length of the field will also be trimmed from 110 yards to 100 yards, while maintaining its 65-yard width.

Mitchell, the CFL’s passing leader this year, said he understood Rourke’s passionate comments but ultimately believes the CFL — which has seen its attendance and profitability drop over the years — needed to move.

“I love this game, I love the CFL game, I love this country,” the 35-year-old Texan said. “I’ve seen Nathan’s reactions to it, I think you gotta give the guy a little bit of grace, to understand that he’s an icon to a lot of Canadians, right? He’s probably got hundreds of DMs from Canadians all over the place telling him to protect this game.”

“This isn’t about changing the CFL game and taking away from it,” Mitchell added. “This is about trying to create an entertainment factor that can add a dollar, that can make sure that seven out of nine teams aren’t losing money.”

Alouettes general manager Danny Maciocia also insists the league is still preserving its Canadian fabric.

“I don’t think it’s too drastic. We’re still Canadian,” Maciocia said Tuesday in Montreal. “We haven’t touched the ratio, we haven’t touched three downs. It’s still unlimited motion, no fair catch. We just tweaked it a bit, and I think you need to be open-minded.

“Everybody is sometimes apprehensive towards any form of change. Everybody loves the status quo. ‘Why change, why change, why change?’ And then people are constantly critical of our game. I think it needed a little bit of a facelift. I think it needed some refreshing.”

Meanwhile, Calgary Stampeders kicker Rene Paredes, who trails only Mark McLaughlin for the franchise lead in all-time points, laments the diminished role for kickers under the impending changes.

Pushing the goalposts to the back of the end zone — and altering the rouge — will give kickers fewer opportunities to score.

“Usually I go between 45 to 60 attempts per year,” Paredes stated Tuesday at McMahon Stadium. “I think (everybody) will be under 45 attempts, so less kicking, less field goals.

“Kickers, it’s a big part of the CFL game. There’s a lot of game-winners, so there’s a lot of points on the board by kickers. Sometimes the kicker’s the only guy making the points.”

While Paredes doesn’t love it when it happens to him, the 14-year veteran acknowledges a returned missed field goal for a touchdown is an exciting CFL element.

“They’re taking away the biggest play in the CFL which is the missed field goal return,” he stated. “As a kicker, if it happens to me it sucks but it’s a big part of the game that changes the game. Fans love it.”

Paredes, who has already said 2026 will be his final season, says he’s not sorry to see the rouge extinguished. But he feels the CFL’s next era won’t value his job. 

“I feel bad for the kickers,” he said before adding: “Most likely they won’t catch up to my points record, so that’s a good thing.”

Anthony Calvillo, a CFL all-time great and now the Alouettes’ offensive coordinator, initially saw the rule changes as positive but said Rourke’s remarks about the league’s uniqueness and longevity struck a chord.

“You want to make sure that we’re still attracting our core fans,” the Hall of Fame quarterback said. “Those are the ones who’ve been supporting us for generations.”

Maciocia said one thing has stood out most since the announcement, which has generated tons of buzz around the CFL.

“It’s the passion,” he said. “Whether they agree or disagree with the changes, the passion is there. That means we have a pretty good product.

“Maybe they should make an announcement every week.”

— With files from Donna Spencer in Calgary.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2025.