‘I started unscrewing nameplates’: Ed Hervey details locker-room purge that turned Edmonton Elks around

Courtesy: David Moll/CFL

In two seasons since returning as general manager of the Edmonton Elks, Ed Hervey has helped to spark an impressive on-field turnaround. Like most regime changes, it didn’t come without bloodshed.

In a sit-down with the CFL on TSN panel prior to Saturday’s 28-26 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the 53-year-old front office executive gave a refreshingly detailed explanation of the organizational purge he undertook.

“The first part was finding out who we had in the locker room. Finding out who the leadership was prior to getting here, and then determining whether we wanted those guys leading us or not,” Hervey said. “And obviously, I didn’t.”

Just 17 players who were on the Elks’ roster at the end of the 2024 season remain under contract with the team today, a rate of exile and expulsion that would have been considered extreme in the Stalin-era U.S.S.R. That might seem contrary to Hervey’s stated desire to reduce player turnover, but first he had to exorcise the mistakes of his predecessors.

“I’m going to give you the straight goods,” Hervey told TSN when asked about his process. “First, I asked the people in the building, the community programs, ‘Who gives you a hard time with the community?’ They rolled out the names. Then I said, ‘Okay, who doesn’t show up to the community stuff on time?’ Then I roll through that. Then I go in the locker room, and I say, ‘Guys, you don’t have to say nothing. We’re gonna walk around, I’m gonna point at the name, and your body language is gonna tell me everything else I need to know about the people here.’”

“We walked around the room, and it was like, ‘Meh. Meh.’ Out. Out. I started unscrewing nameplates, taking their nameplates off. Then a couple of them, they said, ‘Hey, these guys are good guys, young. Just need certain people out of the room.’ Et cetera, et cetera. I’ll get those people out of the room as well. Don’t worry about that.”

Players who were on the bubble were treated to a one-on-one meeting with the incoming general manager. Those who were less than forthcoming suffered the consequences.

“I talked to those guys, and this is honest, I said, ‘Tell me what the problems are.’ The guys get quiet; they don’t know me,” Hervey recounted. “I said, ‘Well, I look at it two ways when you walk out of this room: either you’re part of the solution, or you’re part of the problem. So you better give me the goods.’ And they start spilling.”

Hervey’s cut-throat process led to a complete overhaul of the roster, with Edmonton playing an extremely active role in free agency in each of the past two offseasons. Not every move has panned out, and his blunt approach to player management has rubbed some the wrong way. He became embroiled in a public feud with former receiver Eugene Lewis over his departure in 2025, which led to a rebuke from the CFL Players’ Association, and he drew criticism for dismissive comments prior to the release of linebacker Nyles Morgan this year.

The former Edmonton receiver has always maintained that his treatment of players is fair and just, but that he has little patience for meaningless flattery or dancing around hard truths. Every difficult transaction he’s made has been done in service to a higher purpose.

“What I’m trying to do here is establish Edmonton Eskimo football. I know that pisses people off, but this is the Eskimo Way that you see here. This isn’t anything beyond that,” he said, referencing the franchise’s former moniker, which was changed in 2020 due to its racist connotation.

“We believe in the people that we have. We’ve got the people, the process. Good people, good process, good results. If you have bad people in your room, or people that are selfish, or it’s ‘me first,’ you can’t win with those guys because when you hit a dip, they’re the first people that are complaining. We played with those guys. You played with those guys. We already know. So, I look at my team and say, ‘Do I want these guys? Would I want them as teammates?’ And I look at this team, and I say, ‘Absolutely.’”

Hervey played eight seasons in Green and Gold before joining the team’s scouting department in 2007. He rapidly rose through the ranks and was named general manager for the first time in 2013, playing a key role in the franchise’s last Grey Cup victory in 2015. A year later, he was terminated, which coincided with the start of a decade of decline in Edmonton.

That came to a head under the management of head coach and general manager Chris Jones, who coached the Grey Cup team under Hervey before abandoning the franchise and returning years later with complete control. Known for his propensity for constant roster upheaval and penchant for signing players with previous off-field red flags, the Tennessee native intensified the turmoil during his two-and-a-half years at the helm, leaving behind what his successor has indelicately called a “stench.”

The priority since has been investing in a different type of player — those engaged in the community and willing to make Edmonton their home.

“You’ve got to have good character to play here. You’ve got to have integrity,” Hervey said. “Good football players, we’re recruiting those guys, we’re looking for those guys — that goes without saying. Do they check the other boxes? What is that player going to be like when he leaves the building? Is he going to embrace the community? Is he going to be someone that’s going to get in trouble, or is it going to be someone that’s going to help build and make sure he represents the club and his family the right way? What are their motivations? If your motivation is cash and money and girls, that’s okay, but I’m more into the family people.”

Every organization in professional football claims to hold those same values, but most are guilty of compromising in pursuit of top talent. Hervey insists that the Elks are different, committed to their pure-of-heart ideals. No exceptions will be made, regardless of the calibre of the player.

“Honestly, no. You want to know why? We are not in a position for that,” he said. “We are not there because we’ve already seen that act here. Not anymore. If you don’t fit, you’ve got to split.”

Time will test Hervey’s convictions, but at least for now, the results on the field speak for themselves. After five straight seasons without a playoff appearance, Edmonton sits atop the West Division at 6-2, already one win removed from their total in each of the last two seasons. Saturday’s loss to Saskatchewan was a minor setback, but a two-game split with the defending Grey Cup champions would have been a fantasy just a few years ago.

To accomplish the feat, multiple aspects of the organization have had to work in alignment. In addition to sandblasting the locker room, Hervey found a head coach in Mark Kilam who could instill the team’s new identity.

“The head coach position is understated and sometimes overrated in this league. In Mark’s case, you wonder why wasn’t he considered a long time ago?” he said. “You get a chance to talk with him, and you hear his philosophy, and you say, ‘Well, we’re definitely aligned there,’ and you realize that he wasn’t overlooked; it was just probably another opportunity somewhere for someone else. We’re happy to have him here. ”

“The energy he brings to the locker room, he brings every day, whether it’s high or low. I like his energy on the sidelines. I always tell him sometimes, ‘Hey, tone it down; we need the officials on our side.’ But all in all, he has revitalized that locker room with the players and staff, and they’ll run through a wall for him. That’s what you’ve got to have. You don’t want somebody that’s gonna punish players for every little thing, like a penalty, and then they want to sit them for a week. We don’t want to do that stuff here.”

The combination of Hervey’s exciting roster, Kilam’s tenacious coaching, and team president Chris Morris’ sound business strategy resulted in a crowd of 31,757 against Saskatchewan. The upper bowl at Commonwealth Stadium was opened for the first time since 2023, sparking hope of further renewal in the former City of Champions.

Crowds over 40,000 were once the norm in Edmonton, and Hervey professed that opening the upper bowl was a goal of his when he took the job. He’s not surprised it has happened this quickly, though there is much more that needs to be done.

“Honestly, in the CFL, things can happen really quickly, as y’all know. But we’re a long way away from where we expect to be,” he insisted. “We’ve got to build sustainable success here. We’re not going to be a quick-fix football team, but we needed to start fast to re-energize our fan base and to gain confidence within this community. As far as our expectations, our expectations are to continue to sustain this, and we have a lot to go. We’re still trying to figure out who we are as a football team, but the team is fighting.”

The Elks (6-2) will return to action on Saturday, August 8, when they visit the Montreal Alouettes (7-1).

J.C. Abbott is a University of British Columbia graduate and high school football coach. He covers the CFL, B.C. Lions, CFL Draft and the three-down league’s Global initiative.