Brian Ramsay

Brian Ramsay
BC Federation of Labour Convention (2018)
Born	(1980-02-24) February 24, 1980 (age 41)
Occupation	Executive Director of the Canadian Football League Players' Association

Brian Ramsay (born February 24, 1980) is the Executive Director of the Canadian Football League Players' Association (CFLPA). He transitioned into this role in April 2016 after a CFL playing career spanning from 2006-2015. Ramsay played a pivotal role in the negotiations and ratification of the 2019 collective agreement between the CFL players and the leagues' ownership. Graduate of Royal Roads University (MBA), the University of New Mexico (B.A.) and Butte College (A.A) in Oroville, California.

Career[]

CFLPA[]

As CFLPA Executive Director, Ramsay has overseen a transition throughout the Association, including leading the players through collective bargaining in 2019 and again during the 2020 global pandemic COVID19. During the 2019 collective bargaining, directives reflected steadfast confidence from the membership in a strong strike mandate and just as impressive support from players upon ratification of the contract.

Health and safety initiatives have been a focal point in his tenure to date. The tripling of rehabilitation coverage for injuries sustained on-field was crucial in the 2019 negotiations with the CFL. Ramsay has been a strong advocate for player health and safety, and legislative changes to be made provincially to workers compensation regulations across Canada. In 2016, under Ramsay's leadership, a coalition was formed with professional sports associations (NHLPA, PHPA, PLPA, among others) across Canada to address these inequalities.

From an operations standpoint, Ramsay restructured the Association by engaging Art Vertlieb QC as CFLPA general counsel and hiring Ken Georgetti, former president of the 3.2 million-member Canadian Labour Congress, as Senior Advisor to the Association. Other notable additions to the Association were; former president of the Orthopedics Association of Canada, Dr. Bas Masri, as the first CFLPA Medical Director, and world-renowned professor of neurosurgery, Dr. Chris Honey, as the CFLPA's Director of Neurology. Dr. Honey was instrumental in recruiting a network of neurology specialists across Canada for membership consultation upon request. Bolstering the presence and branding of CFL players was also done with key additions to the licensing and sponsorship, and communications departments of the Association. In 2019, a strategic alliance with the 800,000 member strong United Steelworkers Union was formed, resulting in a mutually beneficial relationship for both union's membership today and into the future.

Understanding the difficult transition that many athletes face during the transition from sport, in August 2016, under Ramsay's leadership, the Association created the CFLPA Academy as a resource for members to prepare for life outside of football. The program now boasts over 65% enrollment by active members within the union and over 800 individual historical users. Pillars of the Academy include; education (Oregon State, Athabasca University, Saskatchewan Polytechnic), career counselling, transition opportunities, and health & wellness. The program consists of scholarships, internships, one on one coaching, financial literacy, and wellness platforms for all CFLPA members at no cost. Since the inception of the Academy, the Association has seen members train to become firefighters, airline pilots, start undergraduate degrees and finish graduate degrees while playing in the CFL and into their transition from professional sports.

CFL[]

Drafted in the fifth round of the 2006 CFL Draft by the Toronto Argonauts. Ramsay played offensive line in 152 CFL games over a nine year career with the Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Edmonton Elks.

KPMG[]

Ramsay articled and worked for the big four accounting firm KPMG for just under a decade as an auditor focusing on not-for-profit and government entities.

Education[]

Ramsay attended the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico on a football scholarship after spending one year at Butte College in Oroville, California. He recently obtained his Masters of Business Administration degree from Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia.

References & External Links[]

1. CFL Players' Association Announces New Executive Team. Retrieved January 12, 2017
2. Larson, S. (2018, December 14). Football players association pushes province to allow access to workers' compensation for athletes | CBC News. Retrieved January 16, 2019, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/football-players-workers-compensation-1.4945469
3. Woods, J. (2018, March 21). CFLPA files grievance against CFL over player safety and rehabilitation. Retrieved May 18, 2018, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/football/cflpa-files-grievance-against-cfl-over-player-safety-and-rehabilitation/article38313590/
4. Press, T. (2020, May 21). Brian Ramsay says CFLPA's focus is exhausting all options for safe 2020 CFL campaign. Retrieved June 8, 2020, from https://www.tsn.ca/ramsay-says-cflpa-s-focus-is-exhausting-all-options-for-safe-2020-cfl-campaign-1.1477983
5. Ralph, D. (2020, May 12). COVID-19 pandemic creating twice as many challenges for some CFL players | CBC Sports. Retrieved July 4, 2020, from https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/cfl-coronavirus-players-unemployed-cflpa-brian-ramsay-1.5566320