Popp Says He's Staying

Alouettes' general manager Jim Popp attempted to diffuse speculation Wednesday he's about to leave the team for a position in the NFL.
"That's the plan, to finish the deal, But I won't discuss things publicly," said Popp, who has one year remaining on his contract. "I do have a contract. I'm working (on the upcoming season) and have stayed loyal. I've had plenty of chances to leave and have not done so. And that doesn't mean I'm leaving now."
The Gazette reported last week Popp was in line for a job in the Washington Redskins' personnel department, Since then, numerous other media outlets have reported there could be other teams interested in Popp's services as well. Popp has been the Als' GM since the franchise returned to the CFL in 1996.
"My plan is to work for the Als this season," Popp said. "My plan is to be with the team, but I won't say it's 100 per cent. There's never 100 per cent (guarantee) to anything. The rest is speculation. I'll do what's best for my family, as I do every year. I plan to be at training camp and work with this team. That's the plan."
Meanwhile, president Larry Smith said renovations at Molson Stadium are progressing on-time and on-budget for the upcoming season. Five-thousand seats are being added, increasing capacity to 25,000. Smith said almost 3,000 additional season tickets have been sold.
Following Montreal's mild winter, the Als will be able to play their June 19 exhibition game, against Toronto, at Molson. There was some thought the game would be played at Olympic Stadium.