Bighill has been massive presence with Bombers
Linebacker’s stellar season capped off with defensive player of the year award
“Meanwhile, linebacker Adam Bighill signed a one-year deal with the Blue Bombers.”
That’s how it seemed on May 19, when the media tornado that is Johnny Manziel touched down in Hamilton, wreaking public relations havoc on every Canadian Football League team outside the blast area.
Manziel’s highly anticipated arrival in the Hammer trumped all things CFL that day, including the quality signings of running backs William Stanback and Ryder Stone in Montreal, offensive lineman Jovan Olafioye in B.C. and Bighill.
While media outlets across Canada, including Postmedia, immediately began documenting Manziel’s every move — from Hamilton to Montreal, from backup to starter, from injured list to the sidelines — the Bombers plugged Bighill into the heart of their defence and it sprang to life.
Look at his stats line: 105 tackles, four sacks, four forced fumbles, two interceptions, one for a TD, two knockdowns, eight tackles for a loss and a fumble recovery.
Along the way, his wire-to-wire dominance generated plenty of media buzz, and on Thursday, the 30-year-old from Astoria, Ore., was named the CFL’s most outstanding defensive player. The spotlight was truly his.
In a landslide 57-3 vote by Football Reporters of Canada members, Bighill got the nod over Hamilton linebacker Larry Dean. Bighill also won in 2015, when he was nearing the end of his six-year run as a member of the B.C. Lions. This one felt different than the first, because he had just returned from a stint with New Orleans of the NFL and was inserted into the middle of the Winnipeg defence.
“Getting used to being around new teammates, new coaching staff, a new way of doing things and building new chemistry, it was absolutely just such a fun year for me, sharing that with my teammates,” he said. “So it’s definitely a different chapter and a different story for this award.”
It’s not a replacement for a Grey Cup ring, or even the chance to play for one. It’s not likely something the Saints will look at and rethink their decision to relegate Bighill to the practice squad. But it’s something he earned, with the trademark will, grit and determination that has defined his stellar seven-year CFL career.
“This year was all about coming back and proving that I’m one of the best players at my position in this league,” Bighill said. “And even though the NFL didn’t see it necessarily, I wanted to put the stamp on it. I am who I am, things haven’t changed, and I only plan to be better. To come back and do what I did this year, my goal was to put in the work every day to give myself an opportunity to be here.”
And to do what people once doubted he could because he was too small at five foot 10, 230 pounds. He has had to earn every scrap of respect at every step in the journey.
“But you know, I absolutely love that. It makes for a good story, it makes for a good journey and it builds character. I wouldn’t be who I am today without all those things. That’s why I’m able to be successful, a huge chip on my shoulder, to keep pushing, to be the best and compete no matter what I’m doing.”
The chip developed early. He was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate and had undergone five surgeries by age 12. He was bullied in school, but his parents equipped him to deal with it, to defend himself when needed. He was empowered, he said, to feel safe and comfortable in his own skin, even though it looked different. Bighill also found comfort on the football field, where he made sure to fit into the team dynamic. He was the hardest worker, the guy who wouldn’t quit.
When his mother Janine died from a heart attack, Bighill was 15. He felt ill-equipped to deal with the emotional wreckage, but toughed his way through it. And a piece of that chip on his shoulder is rooted in a need to make her proud every day. So he lays it on the line for her memory, for his dad, his wife and kids and his teammates, wherever they will be next year. He played out his one-year deal in Winnipeg and hasn’t committed to a landing spot for 2019.
He’ll be in control of his destiny again. That’s something he lost in the NFL, a league that for reasons of politics and finances doesn’t always simply put the best players on the field, he said. He turned down an offer to play in Tampa Bay for a chance to star again in the CFL.
“I wanted to play football. I thought I proved I had a right to do that down there, but sometimes things are out of your control no matter what,” he said.
Like signing a one-year deal in Winnipeg on the same day that Johnny Football turns the CFL upside down in Hamilton. Bighill actually didn’t mind.
“I thought it was pretty awesome that he came up here to play in this league. His profile being so big in the world of football has brought a lot of eyes to Canada, a lot of fans tuning in. I thought it was great for the league.”