National Football League

CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon opts not to seek third term

Published Aug. 21, 2014 5:36 p.m. ET

foxsports

CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon will not return for a third term when his contract expires next year.

Cohon is in his eighth season as commissioner -- only Jake Gaudaur (1968-1984) and Sydney Halter (1958-1966) served as long. Cohon, whose contract ends in April, wants to give the board of governors time to find a successor. The 48-year-old commissioner says this is the "right time" to leave.

Cohon's term has been marked by a lucrative TV deal, the return of Ottawa to the CFL, labor peace until 2018, more stringent drug testing and stadium projects in Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Hamilton and Ottawa.

Unfinished business includes the weak position of the Argonauts in Toronto and expansion into Atlantic Canada. A concussion lawsuit against the CFL was filed last month.