The Untold Story Behind Tre Ford's Edmonton Elks Departure
The Edmonton Elks have officially closed the chapter on quarterback Tre Ford's tenure with the team, marking what many consider the most turbulent period at the quarterback position in Edmonton since the introduction of colour television. This departure concludes a saga filled with untold drama, front-office conflicts, and coaching disagreements that reshaped the team's 2024 season.
A Promising Beginning Turns Chaotic
Tre Ford arrived in Edmonton as one of the most athletic players ever to grace the 110-yard Canadian Football League field, bringing with him the prestigious 2021 Hec Crighton Trophy from his time at Waterloo. While no draft pick comes with guarantees, head coach and general manager Chris Jones believed Ford's potential was worth the calculated risk.
Ford's athleticism and Canadian heritage made him an intriguing prospect for a franchise seeking both performance and fan engagement. However, the promising beginning would soon give way to organizational turmoil that few outside the team's inner circle fully understood.
The 2024 Season Turnaround and Sudden Intervention
The 2024 season started disastrously for the Elks, who stumbled to an 0-5 record with four of those losses coming by just a field goal. This poor performance led to Chris Jones' dismissal, leaving assistant general manager Geroy Simon and offensive coordinator Jarious Jackson to take over interim leadership duties.
Remarkably, the new interim leadership sparked an impressive turnaround. The team won five of their next six games, including sweeping the Labour Day Series for the first time in two decades. Suddenly, the Elks found themselves at 5-8, climbing out of the West Division basement and surpassing their rivals, the Calgary Stampeders.
Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson was performing effectively under centre, the offence and defence were playing complementary football, and the locker-room displayed unprecedented unity. For the first time in years, genuine enthusiasm radiated from the team to the city, and the Elks had worked their way back into serious conversation without being the league's punchline.
The Bye Week Decision That Changed Everything
Just as momentum was building toward a potential playoff appearance—their first in five years—a critical meeting during the bye week altered the team's trajectory. In the office of former president Rick LeLacheur, who was acting as a consultant to the new owners, Simon and Jackson received strong pressure, if not an outright directive, to replace Bethel-Thompson with Tre Ford.
Both interim leaders expressed understandable hesitation about this move, believing they had discovered a winning formula with their current lineup. Their arguments for maintaining the status quo reportedly fell on deaf ears, with sources close to the situation revealing they were told, "It's not just about winning, it's about getting butts in the seats, and Tre Ford brings the energy that we need."
The decision-makers emphasized that a Canadian quarterback with Ford's exceptional athleticism would create a more entertaining on-field product. Feeling they had little choice in the matter, Simon and Jackson reluctantly implemented the directive, setting in motion events that would ultimately lead to Ford's departure and the conclusion of this chaotic chapter in Edmonton football history.
This behind-the-scenes conflict reveals the complex balance between competitive success and business considerations in professional sports, particularly in the unique context of Canadian football where nationality and marketability sometimes intersect with on-field performance decisions.
