Saskatchewan Roughriders legend Darian Durant is not a fan of making CFL salaries public as he believes it gives more people reason to berate players.
"I don't think that the salaries should be made public, but I understand why. The reason I don't like it is because a lot of fans and a lot of naysayers, especially when you're not doing well, like to relate your salary to how you're doing on the field," Durant said on the Sportscage.
"A lot of people will say, 'Well, you're making X amount of money. You shouldn't be playing badly, or you don't deserve certain things because of the money you make.' I don't like that aspect of it. It comes with the territory, I understand it — I don't like it."
Durant made sure to point out the money that players are getting compared to others.
"It's like any other job in the world, really. The guys get paid market value. You get paid based on what the other guys in your position make and what the other guys around the league make. That's how it is, pretty much for every job," Durant said.
"I'm not going to say all because there are some exceptions, but at the same time, your salary should be based on what the market value is. As far as being public, I don't think it should be."
3DownNation's Pablo Herrera-Vergara reported CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston supports athlete salary transparency for fans. CFL Players' Association president Solomon Elimimian understands the positives behind the idea.
"I think there are some pros of having open salary disclosures," Elimimian said. "There is a way you can market the game. Let's be honest, everything is quick and digital. Fans want different perspectives of the game they love. There might be some cons to it as well. We'll have a discussion internally, and we'll have conversations with the CFL."
Durant was asked if players talked about their salaries when he played.
"The only reason we know is either one or two things. It's either that they tell us or it's either being reported on a public platform or in a newspaper or online," Durant said. "It shouldn't matter what they make, we're all teammates, we all work together. Don't look at my salary as a reason to feel any type of way about me, I definitely think it's a rude thing to do."
One CFL contract which Durant provided his opinion on was Toronto Argonauts' quarterback, Chad Kelly, who is owed a $225,000 bonus on February 1, 2026.
"I never liked that aspect of contracts. The fact that teams could void the contract at any given moment, and then what you guys agreed on last year, a year later, you can decide that you don't want to honour that, I don't think that's how it should go," Durant said.
"Once you sign a contract and you put guaranteed money in there or you put what you should make over that two or three-year time span, then that's what it should be."
Unfortunately, Durant knows that is the nature of the business and he can even sympathize with Kelly from his own experience.
"But at the same time, being in this game pretty much my entire life, I understand that's how it goes — I don't have to like the rules. If you want to be a professional athlete, you have to abide by those rules and how those things go," Durant detailed.
"In Chad's case, I've been in situations like that as well. I was in it with Montreal, due a roster bonus during the winter, and they decided not to pay it, which I understand. It's unfortunate. This is what we signed up for. We're big boys, and we understand that this is what comes with the game. I can hate it with all my might, but that's how the game goes, and I don't see it ever changing."
For context, the Alouettes owed Durant $150,000 on January 16, 2018, and released him on January 15, 2018.
