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CFL's five biggest stories

The 2005 CFL season was marked as much by some glaring individual stories as by any team accomplishments. A 42-year-old Toronto quarterback was perhaps the best player in the country while a Saskatchewan Roughriders' defender faced sex charges before a startling revelation was made.

He's a look at the five biggest stories in the CFL this past year:

What do you do for an encore when you're already the CFL's all-time leader passer and the reigning Grey Cup MVP? Toronto Argonauts quarterback Damon Allen found a way to out-do himself in 2005 with perhaps his finest season ever.

Allen, who turned 42 in late July, completed 64.1 per cent of his passes in 2005 and went over the 5,000-yard mark (5,082) for the first time in his storied career. He had the best touchdown-to-interception ratio in the league, throwing 33 majors compared to only 15 picks. Allen's quarterback rating of 102.7 was second only to B.C.'s Dave Dickenson.

Allen is the East Division's nominee for the CFL's outstanding player award and it's tough to argue his impact on the first-place Argonauts. After last year's Grey Cup win Toronto coach Michael "Pinball" Clemons was asked about bringing Allen back for his 21st season. The coach didn't flinch in his response when he said Allen would be back if he wanted to be back.

Allen stands alongside a select few pro athletes who have made a major impact into their fourth decade. Roger Clemens, Nolan Ryan, Gordie Howe, George Foreman and Warren Moon are among his few peers in terms of longevity.

On Oct. 28 the CFL season was winding down and teams in contention were looking forward to a successful playoff run. Then a story broke that literally stunned the league and especially the football-crazy prairie city of Regina.

Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker Trevis Smith was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a B.C. woman and police soon after revealed that he is HIV-positive. They warned that anyone who had sexual contact with Smith should seek medical attention.

The 29-year-old from Montgomery, Ala., was put on the team's disabled list for the last game of the regular season and was left there for the team's playoff loss in Montreal. Meanwhile, Roughrider management answered many questions about Smith's dubious situation and how it has affected the team.

Appearing in a B.C. court on Nov. 2, Smith was freed on $10,000 bail for the incident, which allegedly occurred in Surrey, B.C., sometime between May 2003 and May 2005. Smith's release was conditional. He was barred from visits to nightclubs, placed on a curfew, and prohibited from communicating with any complainants.

In early October, the Edmonton Eskimos were a good team that managed to win games despite having no running game to speak of. That all changed after a big four-player trade w

ith the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Edmonton picked up Troy Davis, the CFL's defending rushing champion, and immediately bolstered its chances at winning the Grey Cup. The Eskimos suddenly had a first-rate complement for their star quarterback Ricky Ray, who was on his way to surpassing 5,000 yards passing. Many times he was forced to throw because the team had no other option. Now the Eskimos had the fleet-footed, five-foot-eight-inch, 183-pound Davis.

In exchange for Davis and Canadian offensive lineman Dan Comiskey, Hamilton obtained non-import receiver Brock Ralph, American defensive back Tay Cody and a 2006 first-round draft pick.

The trade also gave the Tiger-Cats the opportunity to showcase their future, namely rookie running back Jesse Lumsden, son of former CFL star running back Neil Lumsden.

In Edmonton, Davis rushed for 359 yards on 64 carries. On the year, he picked up 1151 yards on 176 carries and five touchdowns.

The CFL season hadn't begun yet when the Ottawa Renegades got the news that would give the franchise some much-needed stability. At a time when no one seemed at all interested in the troubled club, the news read like déjà vu.

Lonie and Bernie Glieberman were announced as the new majority owners of the Renegades in early June, rescuing an Ottawa football team once again. The father-and-son tandem bailed out the sad-sack Ottawa Rough Riders for two years in the 1990s and were now back to pull the Renegades out of murky financial waters. Their stewardship of that first Ottawa team was anything but smooth and under-the-radar, and those years aren't looked on fondly by fans.

The deal took weeks of negotiations to materialize, partly because the CFL board of governors were skeptical of the Gliebermans and their ability to turn the team around.

Bernie Glieberman took majority control of the Renegades with Bill Smith and Brad Watters, part of the original ownership group, keeping 49 per cent of the franchise.

Lonie took the helm as team president, the same position he held with the Rough Riders

It didn't happen, despite much debate indicating it would.

The announcement came in the middle of May that CFL commissioner Tom Wright was staying put in his position as the league's man in charge. Wright wasn't popular with many CFL owners but the league's board of governors welcomed him back anyway.

Wright made it clear after the announcement that he wanted his position clarified, meaning he sought the authority to run the league as he saw fit and didn't want to be handcuffed by the owners like so many of his predecessors were.

Wright was originally appointed commissioner in November 2002, right before the Grey Cup game. In 2003, he achieved one of his major goals with the announcement of a five-year television deal with CBC and TSN.

His vision for expansion seems to be headed in the right direction as Toronto and Hamilton played a pre-season game in Halifax, ostensibly setting the stage for a team in the near future in the Maritimes' largest city.

Despite these successes, Wright has been criticized for failing to enforce the salary cap. He has also faced heat over the continued instability of the Ottawa franchise, which suffered substantial losses over the previous three seasons.