According to Mike Beamish, the Edmonton Eskimos have a policy of fining players $60 for the wholesale cost of any balls tossed in the stands at Commonwealth. Emmanuel Arceneux was fined $60 after last week's game and Geroy Simon was fined $120. I don't know if this policy is applied equally to home and visiting players, but it seems tacky.
The two Lion players weren't grumbling about it, but as a fan I applaud tasteful celebrations that allow the fans to share in the moment. I caught my first souvenir ball last year (thanks Dante) and it's one of my most cherished possessions from more than four decades of attending CFL games.
Link“You can’t do that in college,” Arceneaux said Wednesday. “No spiking the ball, no tossing the ball into the stands. I thought this [CFL] was different because it’s professional football. But I guess it’s just a rule Edmonton has.”
Home teams are required to pay for the footballs used in a CFL game and some aren’t as liberal about where they end up, especially when it’s the visiting team doing the celebrating. Like Arceneaux, slotback Geroy Simon has been told to fork over $120 after he tossed a pair of footballs skyward following his two-touchdown performance in the Lions’ 44-20 win over the Eskimos.
Arguably, Simon has the most recognized silhouette in the CFL when he strikes the pose of Superman following a touchdown. The league is much more lenient about the gesture, however, than the Eskimos are about Simon’s post-touchdown tosses.
“Honestly, I’m not worried about a $60 fine,” Simon says. “Giving a ball to a fan kind of encourages them to come to a game. Even if they don’t have the best seat in the house, there’s a chance they might catch a souvenir. They talk about wanting to promote our game, and that’s what I’m doing. Pretty much every time I score a touchdown, I toss it away into the stands. And I’ve never been fined before. I think it’s kind of stupid . . . bush league.”
