Being a CFL starting quarterback is not a risk-free profession, as Cameron Dukes learned the hard way.
The former Toronto Argonaut recently sat down with The Carter Code podcast to discuss his career. Among the revelations was that he received threats against himself and his family while quarterbacking the team in 2024.
“I’m telling you, for somebody that never had to worry about media — I came from a small school, dude — it’s the first time I ever had to look at that,” Dukes said. “I’m getting death threats. I’m getting people talking about hanging my parents. I’m getting this in the box (sic), and guess what? I still got the screenshots, baby.”
The 27-year-old started nine games for Toronto in 2024, holding down the fort while franchise quarterback Chad Kelly served a suspension for violating the CFL’s gender-based violence and harassment policy. He went 4-5 at the helm that season and successfully kept the team afloat, completing 71.9 percent of his passes for 1,444 yards with seven touchdowns against six interceptions while rushing 57 times for 321 yards and four majors.
However, concerns over Dukes’ quality of play led him to be demoted to the third-string role once Kelly returned, and it was Nick Arbuckle who eventually got the start in the team’s Grey Cup win. When the results weren’t going his way, Dukes felt a turn in the fanbase and began receiving the threats on social media.
“I’m building what I think is going to be a career in Toronto because of what I’m doing, what I’m giving for the organization, and what I’m putting into it. It just feels right for me to be here because I’m putting into it. I go out, and I’m producing. And then you have one bad game, and it’s like everybody completely forgets who you were the whole entire time and creates this different script on you,” he remarked.
“What fans don’t realize is you would never say this to us in person, but I’m using everything you’re saying right now as fuel. That sh*t motivates me, dude.”
The Shepherdsville, Ky., native wasn’t used to threats, but he was familiar with disrespect throughout his time with the Argonauts.
The six-foot, 210-pound pivot’s collegiate resume included a national championship victory and three All-American selections, but those accolades came from tiny Lindsey Wilson University in the NAIA. Even after a successful stint in the Indoor Football League, few expected Dukes to pan out in the CFL, including those associated with the team.
“The whole entire time, I’m hearing like, ‘He’s a camp arm,’ ‘He’s only coming in to throw the ball, and they’re gonna release him.’ I’ve got the media in Toronto talking about, ‘His type of game isn’t sustainable.’ The thing is, it was legit the Argos’ podcast people. Like, brother, what are you talking about? You’re supposed to be on my team,” he recalled.
“Go ahead. Guess what? I don’t need anybody out here to believe in me. I need one person, yeah, and that’s me, because I’m the one that wakes up with me. I’m the one that’s driving to the facility. I’m the one going through the work. I’m the one going home at night to myself. I don’t need nobody to believe in me. I’m laughing at all these people posting this stuff about me.”
Dukes proved the doubters wrong by making the roster for all 18 games as the primary backup in 2023, including a pair of starts. After scoring in his first start against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, he let everyone see the chip on his shoulder with a message screamed down the camera lens: “I bet you know now.”
On this occasion, the fighting words were directed at an opponent and not his own organization.
“Winnipeg is the first team I thought, like, ‘Man, I might have a chance.’ Like, ‘I know I’m going here, they might pick me up.’ And then word comes back to me that people in the organization don’t want me because of where I played college ball. Quote, unquote, ‘He does look like a boy amongst men out here, but he didn’t play against nobody.’ I’m sitting here thinking maybe you all think I didn’t play against nobody, but this is the opportunity I was given,” Dukes recounted.
“That’s the reason I said it. … I hope that person that said that at Winnipeg saw that and knew exactly who I was talking to.”
Dukes’ tenure with Toronto ended on June 1, when he was released as part of final training camp cuts. After a three-week stint with the Montreal Alouettes in 2025, he remains a CFL free agent and is currently looking for his next opportunity.
Despite the throngs of doubters and outright nastiness he experienced from some fans, the 2024 Grey Cup champ is grateful for every element of his professional career.
“If I never play another down, thank goodness for those experiences, because now, whenever I become a coach, I can give those experiences. I can now let people know what to expect, how to handle situations,” Dukes said. “I’m just taking everything as a sponge, trying to soak up everything and every experience so I can relay that to people.”
