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Filed grievance — and won — after being released by B.C. right before a $75,000 bonus came due.
Author of the article:
Montreal Gazette
Montreal Gazette
Herb Zurkowsky
Published Jul 03, 2025 • 3 minute read
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Lions' Alexander Hollins is tackled by Elks' Nyles Morgan during game last season in Edmonton. Hollins might suit up for the Alouettes on Saturday. JASON FRANSON/THE CANADIAN PRESS
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Receiver Alexander Hollins is one of the few CFL players who can say he beat the system.
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Hollins, signed as a free agent by the Alouettes on Tuesday, eventually received a $75,000 bonus he believed he was due from the B.C. Lions last winter — but only after the league’s players’ association filed a grievance on his behalf.
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Hollins was released by the Lions just before he was due the bonus — something that occurs far too frequently in the CFL. A player is released in the hope he’ll renegotiate a new contract, calling for a pay decrease.
In his first interview this week after signing with Montreal, Hollins preferred to take the high road.
“It’s part of the business. I have nothing bad to say,” said the 28-year-old native of Yazoo City, Miss. “I appreciate them for giving me an opportunity.
“You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” Hollins added. “It’s nothing against the league. It’s nothing against the guys upstairs in B.C. Sometimes the business side isn’t friendly. I handled it the right way for me. They handled it the right way for them.”
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Hollins was signed by Edmonton after his release, only to be one of the Elks’ final training camp cuts. The Als won’t declare their roster until Friday morning, making it uncertain whether Hollins will be activated Saturday night, when Montreal hosts B.C. at Molson Stadium (7 p.m. CTV, TSN1, TSN5, RDS). Receiver Austin Mack (hamstring) is expected to miss his second consecutive game, but fellow receiver Cole Spieker (quadriceps) practised on Thursday at Stade Hébert after being held out on Wednesday.
And the Als, playing their first home game in a month, will start McLeod Bethel-Thompson at quarterback for a second straight game in place of the injured Davis Alexander (hamstring). Bethel-Thompson struggled in last week’s loss at Hamilton, passing for only 203 yards while being intercepted twice and mishandling a late-game snap that turned into a Tiger-Cats touchdown.
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Hollins, 6-feet and 170 pounds, has been a productive CFL receiver. He caught 61 passes for 937 yards while scoring six touchdowns in 2024 and was a West Division all-star the year before, when he caught a career-high 78 passes for 1,173 yards along with nine touchdowns.
“He’s a guy that has played in this league and had success,” general manager Danny Maciocia said. “We know he can play as an inside and outside receiver. The feedback I’ve gotten, as far as the individual is concerned — I’m not talking about the player; all you have to do is watch the film — is that he’d be a good fit in our locker room. You never have enough depth at that position, especially throughout the course of the season.”
Hollins believes he’s a playmaker who can inspire a team by making timely receptions and gaining first downs. He claimed he was released by Edmonton because the organization thought he was injured. He remained patient, continued to train and knew the phone would eventually ring.
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“This is a great opportunity for me,” he said. “They called and I wasn’t going to turn it down. I knew nothing was going to happen instantly. It’s a waiting game, part of the game, and I wanted to see where I would get the best opportunity.
“Everybody has their own personal reasons for releasing a player,” Hollins added. “Some things they thought were personally going on with me, health-wise. They made a tough business decision and that’s all right. It’s part of the game.”
Bethel-Thompson, meanwhile, is determined to show the organization his performance against the Ticats was an aberration. Head coach Jason Maas earlier this week exonerated the veteran, saying the offence didn’t make enough plays.
“That was a night I wish hadn’t happened,” said Bethel-Thompson, who turned 37 on Thursday. “I’ll take the good from it and know there’s better football ahead to be played. I’m excited to show what I can do; what we can do as an offence. When we put it all together we’re very, very dangerous.
“I was frustrated (against Hamilton). Any time you have an offensive performance like that you’re going to be frustrated. I wasn’t happy with that, wasn’t happy with my performance. Our performance. It’s never fun to lose. You put the work in and trust the bounces will go your way. I’ll have to come back with a bigger and stronger mindset.”
Note — Saturday’s game will be the 100th of his career for Canadian tailback Sean Thomas-Erlington.
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