Elks fire coach Elizondo, GM Sunderland, president Presson

The Edmonton Elks cleaned house on Monday, firing head coach Jaime Elizondo, general manager and vice president of football operations Brock Sunderland, and president and CEO Chris Presson.

Edmonton finished the season outside the playoffs and tied with a league-worst record of 3-11.

"We are determined to give this community the competitive team long-time loyal fans have been accustomed to throughout this proud franchise’s history," said interim CEO Allan Watt.

"We are equally committed to winning over new fans by supporting our community and developing a fun and engaging game experience that appeals to the broad demographic of our great city."

The organization hired Elizondo at the start of the 2021 campaign, while Presson joined the club in 2019.

Sunderland led the Elks for four seasons after coming in off a Grey Cup win as assistant general manager with the Ottawa Redblacks in 2016. He missed the postseason three times and produced a 31-37 record.

Edmonton entered the campaign with high hopes, but a 2-2 start and a significant COVID-19 outbreak that required a two-week shutdown quickly dampened expectations.

The Elks traded then quarterback Trevor Harris to the Montreal Alouettes in mid-October, leaving Taylor Cornelius to take over under center. The team proceeded to lose nine of its last 10 games to close the campaign and failed to win at home for the first time in franchise history.

Edmonton also endured controversy after being forced to cut offensive lineman Jacob Ruby for reportedly mispresenting his vaccination status.