Five players of Simon Fraser University's former football program have filed an injunction in the Supreme Court of British Columbia in an attempt to force the school to re-open the program, as well as a separate claim alleging the school breached its contract by canceling the program, according to a report from the CBC.
The university announced April 4 it will not compete in football, starting immediately.
"The university has carefully considered all available options and as a leadership team we concluded that football is no longer a feasible sport for SFU," president Joy Johnson said at the time.
Simon Fraser was forced to play its home games in Washington State due to COVID-19 border restrictions and, following the dissolution of the Great West Conference, was forced to join the Texas- and New Mexico-based Lone Star Conference. However, with Sul Ross State (Texas) moving up from Division III to Division II in 2024, Simon Fraser was not welcomed in the LSC beyond this season.
"These players all came to SFU based on promises … that they would play football and get a great education," said lawyer Peter Gall. "So with very little notice the program is now being terminated. We say that's a breach of contract."
The Canadian Football League, the CFL Players Association, Football Canada (the national governing body of amateur football) all appealed to SFU, U Sports (Canada's version of the NCAA) and Canada West to find a way to get SFU football into the Canadian college football system.