MSL attempts to start season in Six Nations sans OLA sanctioning
Six Nations Chiefs, Major Series Lacrosse (Photo: OLA)
While facing significant discipline and some a lengthy suspension, Major Series Lacrosse still attempted to start their 2022 regular season last night with a game between the Brooklin Lacrosse Club and Six Nations Chiefs at Iroquois Lacrosse Arena.
The game, which was won by the Chiefs 10-6, did not go smoothly.
There were no referees, no stream as advertised, and seemingly no insurance for players participating in the unsanctioned contest, which included National Lacrosse League players, NCAA athletes, and others.
Why? You may want to skip the next four paragraphs if you’ve been following this saga from the start.
Over a month ago now, the OLA demanded MSL return the Excelsiors Lacrosse Club back to Brampton from Owen Sound after the association deemed back in August that a 2018 transfer of the club to Joe Norton, owner of the Bug Juice brand, was not approved due to many concerns over the legitimacy of the agreement. Two seasons after the sale, Norton and MSL attempted to move the club to Owen Sound.
The OLA has also required MSL clubs to make good on long-owed player development payments amounting to $15,000.
Both of those requirements were to be rectified by April 30, 2022, and if not, the OLA would no longer recognize the MSL executive - meaning no insurance, no association-sanctioned officials, no Mann Cup for MSL clubs, and no season supported by the OLA, period. MSL Commissioner Doug Luey would also receive a five-year suspension if the requirements were not met.
Instead, Luey appealed the conditions. A tribunal, however, recently upheld the OLA’s decision. Deadlines regarding the requirements were again seemingly ignored by MSL. Norton has since threatened legal action against virtually everyone involved outside of the league, also claiming he has spent over $500,000 on the club since acquiring it.
Last week, MSL requested Monday’s game be sanctioned due to the important role it serves within the Six Nations community’s Indigenous Bread & Cheese Festival. From The Hamilton Spectator:
Bread and Cheese Day has its roots in the annual gifts Queen Victoria gave to Six Nations members in appreciation of the allyship of the Haudenosaunee to the British. The elected band council eventually took over the event and the blankets of Victoria’s era made way for bread and cheese.
The Lax Mag has confirmed that the OLA did respond to MSL’s request. The OLA were willing to allow the contest to be played as an exhibition game, but needed Luey and the league to provide some assurances that MSL would abide by the recent tribunal decision, along with providing payment or a reasonable payment plan for the long-owed and repeatedly requested player development payments.
The Lax Mag has further confirmed that while it appears payment requirements were finally met, the other half of the OLA’s condition was never fully satisfied, Luey texting the association just an hour before Monday’s 7:30pm start time on the topic. Having heard so late in the day on Monday, it’s also unlikely the OLA would have been able to successfully schedule officials in such last-second circumstances anyhow.
The game had been promoted as being streamed, but the Chiefs later tweeted that due to recent storms, internet issues prevented them from providing the game on YouTube for fans to watch. Although there has been no official announcement, the league has hinted at a television and online broadcast offering for the upcoming season.
Update May 25, 2022 (5pm ET): The Lax Mag has confirmed that a cell phone tower providing internet to the arena had collapsed this past winter. While the tower was recently repaired, others have been unable to stream events from the ILA due to an insufficient upload speed for adequate streaming requirements.
MSL and team officials on hand allowed two “volunteer officials” who were at the game to referee the unsanctioned contest.
The league’s next proposed and seemingly unsanctioned game does not take place until this coming Saturday, in Owen Sound of all places.
Also on TheLaxMag.com