Ottawa Renegades Ottawa Renegades was the most recent name of a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa , Ontario founded in 2002 , seven years after the storied Ottawa Rough Riders folded . After four seasons , the Renegades franchise was suspended indefinitely by the league due to financial instability , and its players were absorbed by the other teams in a dispersal draft . After two years in limbo , the franchise was awarded to Jeff Hunt , best known as the owner of the Ottawa 67 ' s , in March 2008 , with a tentative revival date of 2013 . It is unknown whether the new Ottawa team will retain the Renegades name as technically it still remains as the franchise never folded . Franchise history . The Ottawa Renegades returned Canadian Football League action to Canada ' s capital in 2002 . Ottawa had been without a team since 1996 , when the Ottawa Rough Riders folded . The logo chosen draws similarities to the logo used by the Rough Riders for much of their existence up until 1992 . As of 2008 , the Renegades have played four seasons and never qualified for the playoffs . In May 2005 , Bernard Glieberman ( former owner of the Rough Riders and the CFL USA ' s Shreveport Pirates ) took ownership of the team , and made his son Lonie Glieberman team president . The team ' s only head coach had been Joe Paopao . On November 7 , 2005 , the Ottawa Renegades announced John Jenkins as head coach and General Manager for 2006 , with Forrest Gregg serving as the team ' s Executive VP for football . However , this did not occur because of the suspension of the team ' s operations . The organization has become known for its devoted fan following , an informal group called " Renegade Nation " . Local newspaper stories have noted their activities , which have included raising funds for players fined by the CFL or the team , as well as tailgating more than 12 hours before game time ( uncommon in CFL cities ) with players and coaches frequently dropping by before or after the game . On March 3 , 2006 , Lonie Glieberman resigned from day - to - day operations of the team , acknowledging that he made mistakes during his tenure . With the team losing $ 3 . 8 million in 2005 , and the possibility of losing an additional $ 2 . 3 million to $ 5 . 8 million in 2006 , the organization requested financial assistance from the CFL , which the league was not willing to provide . On March 22 , 2006 , Bernie Glieberman decided to stop funding the Renegades . While the CFL previously took over operations of the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger - Cats in 2003 , on April 9 , 2006 , the CFL ' s board of governors decided not to do that for the Renegades . The CFL started looking for a new owner . The players of the Ottawa Renegades were dispersed to the remaining 8 CFL teams in a dispersal draft , with QB Kerry Joseph going # 1 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders . Steelback Brewery president Frank D ' Angelo announced in April 2006 that he was exploring opportunities to revive the team . The announcement was not cleared with the Canadian Football League , who indicated that they had had only one informal conversation with D ' Angelo , in which no decision was made . On May 15 , 2007 , the CFL announced that it had ended discussions with a group led by William Palmer regarding the return of a CFL team to Ottawa for the 2008 season . CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon stated " [ s ] everal parties have expressed interest regarding a franchise for Ottawa , and we have decided to concentrate efforts on these new opportunities . The CFL remains committed to the City of Ottawa , and we remain determined to return a franchise to the nation ’ s capital only at a time and under circumstances that will ensure strength and stability in the long run " . However , in September 2007 , the lower south side of Frank Clair Stadium was closed , due to cracks in the concrete structure . Ottawa mayor Larry O ' Brien was quoted at the time that this was an opportunity to do a review of the usage and the facilities of Lansdowne Park . This makes the future of a team in Ottawa an uncertain one , because if it is decided to demolish the stadium , an Ottawa team would be without a stadium until another is built , and would have to play at a smaller venue in Ottawa or in another Ontario town such as Kingston , which has a stadium ( Richardson Memorial Stadium ) that could be raised to the CFL minimum of 25 , 000 seats , and has hosted a Grey Cup game before , or the most likely scenario , the Ottawa Renegades will stay suspended for the foreseeable future until a new stadium is built or the team will be folded outright . On March 25 , 2008 , the league ended the team ' s indefinite limbo by awarding the franchise to Jeff Hunt , owner of the Ottawa 67 ' s . Pending the reconstruction of Frank Clair Stadium , the team will begin play in 2013 . Whether the team will retain the " Renegades " name is unclear . Players . As week 5 of the 2010 CFL season , there were still eight former Renegade players still active on other CFL team rosters ( Korey Banks , Kai Ellis , Shawn Gallant , Obby Khan , Markus Howell , Matt Kirk , Alexandre Gauthier , George Hudson ) . Former Renegades Korey Banks , Kerry Joseph , Yo Murphy and Markus Howell have also gone on to be Grey Cup champions .