Commissioner Johnston moves CFL goalposts, literally and figuratively

Hooray for Stewart Johnston. Article content

He listened. Article content Article content

Through his first 151 days serving as CFL commissioner, plus his many years as a TV executive and fan of Canadian football, Johnston heard the complaints about front-of-the-end zone goalposts. They’re dangerous to players, their proximity results in more field goals and fewer touchdowns, they obstruct the view of fans/TV viewers plus they severely limit quarterbacks’ options when throwing in their vicinity.

Johnston heard the critics grumble about “rewarding failure” on missed field goals. He noticed that playing fields varied across the nine-team league, with some end zones smaller than the 20-yard mandate and players’ benches sometimes stupidly being on the same sideline.

So Johnston did som