By Canadian Press

New role, same goal for Maciocia after Alouettes restructure: ‘I’m still the GM here’

Mar 27, 2025 | 2:20 PM

MONTREAL — Danny Maciocia may have new responsibilities with the Montreal Alouettes, but that doesn’t mean we’ll see less of him on the field.

“The day I start doing paperwork, it’ll be time to move on,” the Alouettes general manager said during a press conference Thursday at Olympic Stadium.

In an organizational restructuring, Maciocia added senior vice-president of football operations to his job title after the CFL team announced Wednesday that Mark Weightman was stepping down as president and chief executive officer.

But for Maciocia, stepping away from football operations is out of the question.

“I’m still the GM here,” he said. “I’m a field guy, you all know me well enough. I’ll be spending time with the coaches, I’ll be travelling with the team. What does this new role add? Maybe a few more meetings with the league.”

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Maciocia will now also sit on the franchise’s executive committee, chaired by André Brosseau, who serves as the Alouettes’ governor within the CFL.

Montreal won’t hire a new president and CEO. Along with Maciocia’s added role, René Masson becomes senior vice-president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer. He had been the Alouettes’ director of finance.

The new system resembles a European soccer club’s structure, Maciocia said.

“I’ve been reading up on it in the past few days, and it reminds me of what you see at FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, AS Roma or Juventus,” he said. “It’s a new structure, and we’ll adapt. I don’t see why, with the people we have in place, we wouldn’t achieve the same success.”

Financial stability?

The Alouettes said Wednesday that Masson would be responsible for “growing the team’s revenues and returning it to profitability.”

When asked whether a position had been eliminated to free up funds, Maciocia responded he didn’t believe that was the case.

“I imagine the money will be reallocated elsewhere, but I can tell you my salary hasn’t increased,” he said, jokingly.

“I can look you straight in the eye and assure you that things are going very well,” Maciocia added. “Since (owner Pierre Karl) Péladeau arrived, the past two years have helped us. Winning the Grey Cup (in 2023) and having a 12-win season (in 2024) clearly helps too, but we’ve also been able to define who we are as an organization, and the fans can see themselves in what we do.”

Maciocia also said he knows what it’s like when a team is in financial trouble.

“I lived through it for three, four, five years,” he said. “I know the impact it can have, not just in the front office but also in the locker room and on the field. The success we’ve had over the past two years isn’t about money. With Mr. Péladeau, he doesn’t just write a cheque and tell us not to bother him. He’s involved.

“He probably travels with the team more than I do. The players really appreciate that.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 27, 2025.

Frédéric Daigle, The Canadian Press