CFL legend Charleston Hughes feels Edmonton Elks' general manager Ed Hervey lacked detail with his superstar commentary.
"If he's talking about right now, then yes. If he's talking about period, he's never come across a superstar in the CFL, he doesn't know what he's talking about -- he's out of his mind," Hughes told The SportsCage.
"He needed to clarify what he said, he didn't say it clearly and he didn't project himself very well when he said that statement. If he made that statement and said: 'There's no current superstars in the league.' He might have a slight argument there. At the same time, guys are known on a national level throughout Canada."
Hughes made sure to point out the stars who have become well-known because they played in the CFL.
"For him to try to compare Muhammad Ali to anybody in the CFL shows how absolutely ridiculous that is," Hughes explained. "Doug Flutie, Warren Moon, if you go down that path and name all those guys, Jeff Garcia, those guys were known on a national level. Let's talk about Dwayne Johnson. He didn't even make the team and he's still known on a national level and connected to Calgary."
The 2025 CFL Combine was hosted in Regina, Saskatchewan from March 21 through 23. That brought back memories for Hughes about his workouts for professional teams coming out in 2008.
"I went to four different pro days when I was coming out of my senior year," Hughes recalled. "I went to Michigan's pro day, I went to Grand Valley's pro day, I went to Saginaw Valley's pro day and then I had my own pro day at Northwood University."
The six-time CFL all-star remembers his pro days being intense as coaches and scouts tried to see how far he could push his limits.
"That field work stuff is nothing more than to find your breaking point. It's nothing more to see how many drills are going to take full speed for you to get tired. Your technique starts to crack and break down, that's the sole purpose of it," Hughes said.
"I never went to a pro day and felt like I did bad. I played very well and I think I wowed some people during that session. I was with some of the highest recruits, especially at Michigan."
Football players go through interviews at combines and pro days. Hughes remembers "crazy" questions being asked.
"One of the GMs asked the player if he was a whisky drinker or a milk drinker. How do you answer that as a player coming up?" Hughes questioned while he chuckled.
"They're trying to find out whether you're a soft, gentle player or have an edge to you. That's one of those questions where it's a double-edged sword, but you never know what information you can get."
