By Canadian Press

Sources: TSN president Johnston top candidate to become CFL commissioner

Apr 1, 2025 | 2:20 PM

TORONTO — TSN president Stewart Johnston has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Randy Ambrosie as CFL commissioner.

Two league sources requesting anonymity told The Canadian Press on Tuesday the CFL would decide upon Ambrosie’s successor in time for its global/Canadian drafts April 29. Both suggest Johnston is the league’s top choice to assume the commissioner’s role.

One of the sources said negotiations between the league and Johnston are ongoing and, while not yet finalized, the two sides appear close to doing so.

The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity as the CFL has not divulged its top candidates for the commissioner’s position or the individuals it has spoken to regarding the role.

The CFL declined to comment Tuesday afternoon.

IN THE CITY

TREX Southeast art gallery moving back to Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre

17h ago

WHAT'S ON

Alberta archaeologists to mark 50 years at Medicine Hat conference

Apr 02, 2025

IN THE COMMUNITY

Medicine Hat Pride group signs open letter calling on federal leaders to protect trans rights

Mar 31, 2025

In January, Johnston was ranked No. 57 on The Hockey News’ top-100 people of power and influence in hockey.

Johnston, a 54-year-old Toronto native, has served as TSN’s president since 2010. He began working at the sports television broadcaster in 1997 as an intern and eventually was promoted to vice-president of programming in 2006.

The hiring of Johnston would be an interesting one given the CFL’s current broadcast agreement with TSN goes through the 2026 season. The deal is reportedly worth $50 million annually.

The CFL also has an American broadcast contract with CBS Sports Network. It, too, is slated to expire following the ’26 season.

Ambrosie, 62, announced in October his intention to retire as commissioner sometime in 2025 once his successor was found. The Winnipeg native, who played nine seasons (1985-93) as an offensive lineman with Calgary, Toronto and Edmonton, was named the league’s 14th commissioner July 5, 2017, succeeding Jeffrey Orridge.

Ambrosie’s seven-plus year tenure is the second-longest behind the late Jake Gaudaur (1968-84).

The timing of Ambrosie’s decision to retire was surprising, given he said he had no immediate plans to step down in his 2023 Grey Cup address. Conventional thinking suggested Ambrosie would remain on the job at least through the ’26 season, when the broadcast deals expired.

But by retiring sometime in 2025, Ambrosie felt he was giving his successor time to get acclimated with the job and prepare for negotiations on new TV deals. In May 2022, the CFL and CFL Players’ Association agreed to a seven-year collective bargaining agreement, but that deal can be reopened once the new broadcast contracts deals are signed.

Something Johnston wouldn’t have to deal with, at least not immediately, would be any CFL ownership fires. During Ambrosie’s tenure the league solidified ownership situations with the B.C. Lions (Amar Doman), Montreal Alouettes (Pierre Karl Peladeau) and Edmonton Elks (Larry Thompson).

Currently, all nine franchises appear to be on solid footing. And the 2025 and 2026 Grey Cup games will be held in Winnipeg and Calgary, respectively.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2025.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press