‘I want to turn this around:’ Riders CEO Craig Reynolds looks to the future

While the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Montreal Alouettes are squaring off in the spotlight during Grey Cup Week, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have also been a major topic of discussion in the CFL.

The Green and White is the only team in the league currently searching for a new head coach for the 2024 season.

After a second straight 6-12 season that ended on a seven-game losing streak, the Riders elected to not offer head coach Craig Dickenson a contract extension. That means the search is on as general manager Jeremy O’Day works to find the next person to lead the team on the bench.

Craig Reynolds, the team’s president and CEO, said the team is already making some progress on that front.

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“We are one of the most talked-about teams, and I know why. I won’t confirm names, but I will confirm we are into that process now where we are asking for permission, and Jeremy is starting to have some conversations,” Reynolds said.

He said it’s crucial for the new head coach to “understand the culture of Saskatchewan and the Roughriders as a whole, and then set that sub-culture within a football team around hard work and resiliency.”

TSN’s Dave Naylor and Farhan Lalji have reported that the Riders have asked for permission to speak to Calgary Stampeders defensive coordinator Brent Monson and special teams coordinator Mark Kilam, as well as Hamilton Tiger-Cats offensive coordinator Scott Milanovich and defensive coordinator Mark Washington, along with B.C. Lions offensive coordinator Jordan Macsymic.

While the head coach will be changed for 2024, many fans wanted more changes at the top after two disappointing seasons. Reynolds elected to stay the course with O’Day, giving him a three-year contract extension.

He said he understands how some fans have been feeling.

“There’s so much emotion and passion in Saskatchewan, and I get that. It has been frustrating, and it has certainly been frustrating for all of us in the organization. I don’t know if anyone is more frustrated than we are internally, and Jeremy is as well,” Reynolds said.

“I promised myself when I got this job I was always going to make the decision that was in the best interest in the short term and long term of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. I truly believe Jeremy O’Day is an outstanding general manager in our league, and I believe he is going to get an outstanding coach. He’s going to tweak our roster, and he is going to turn this around quite quickly.”

As the president of the Riders, Reynolds said he knows all of his decisions will be put under a microscope and discussed in depth.

“It’s part of the job, and I knew that right away. I remember talking to Jim Hopson when we were talking about him potentially retiring, and he suggested (I) put my name forward. He said ‘When you do that, you’re going to get criticized. You’re going to get criticized for the decisions you make and the decisions you don’t make,’” Reynolds said.

“Criticism comes with the job, and so you just kind of accept that and try to have as much thick skin as you possibly can, and you just try to know you’re making the right decisions that you truly believe that are in the best interest of a football team I truly love.”

Along with putting together a winning football club on the field, Reynolds also needs to find a way to continue to bring more fans to Mosaic Stadium. He admitted that while team performance is a big factor, economic factors are an issue as well.

“Literally day in and day out, we are talking about the affordability issues, certainly as we go through renewals as well,” Reynolds said.

“We have payment plans that have been in place for a while. We have reduced ticket pricing on 9,000 tickets. We have a family pack. We have had outstanding success with that – we had more than doubled the amount of families in through the family packs last year, which was driving a good scan rate and a good overall attendance year-over-year.

“That family pricing is in effect. We have reduced season ticket pricing on youth tickets so they are now 50 per cent off the adult pricing, so we’ve done as much as we could to focusing on the family and the younger fan to get families into the stadium in an affordable way.”

But while the job is highly scrutinized, Reynolds said he still loves what he does.

“I’m extremely fortunate. I grew up in Foam Lake, Saskatchewan, a town of 1,500 people, and I grew up loving the Roughriders. If you would have told me as a kid I was going to be the president of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, I would have told you you were crazy,” Reynolds said.

“It’s a lifelong dream, and I want this team to be successful for the fans. There’s so much passion for our football team and I want to win for the fans. I want to turn this around. I want to be part of that, and I want to support Jeremy in doing that, and I want to deliver winning, entertaining football for our fans.”