Versatility, speed give Alouettes’ Bray an edge
Receiver has lived life of perseverance in face of tragedy
Alouettes receiver hopeful Quan Bray said he has been driven to work hard and pursue his dreams to honour the memory of his mother and to set an example for his younger brother.
Bray, a highly recruited high school player who chose Auburn over Alabama, saw his world turned upside down a few days before his first workout in college. While he was driving from Atlanta to his home in LaGrange, Ga., he received a number of phone calls from his parents. He was reluctant to take the calls while he was driving but when he had a chance to stop, he read a message from his father, asking him to check on his mother.
He arrived home to find police surrounding his mother’s wrecked car. Police directed him to the local hospital where he learned his mother had died from a bullet wound to the head.
The tragedy took another horrific turn when Bray’s father confessed to the murder and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
“I know I could have easily given up, but I knew my mother would want me to keep working,” Bray said. “What happened was a tragedy, but things happen for a reason.”
Bray said his mother’s death forced him to grow up and set an example for his brother, who was 10 when their mother died.
“He’s going into his final year of high school and it gives me chills to see how he’s grown,” Bray said. “I wrote a book, which is about more than football. It’s called Keep the Dream Alive and it’s about being passionate about whatever you do and never letting the dream die.”
Bray’s dream is to earn a job with the Alouettes. He’s one of 13 American players vying for three or four spots on the roster, but he has experience and versatility going for him. He spent three seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and can be used in multiple situations. He became the first player at Auburn to score a touchdown as a receiver, a running back and a punt returner in the same season.
Bray has spent two weeks getting up to speed on Canadian football.
“It’s the same game in a sense, but it’s a different game,” said Bray. “I get running starts as a receiver and on special teams, you have to catch the ball, there’s no fair catch. I like the bigger field. You can use your speed a little more to get around to the edges. There’s a lot of field and if you can make one (defender) miss, it’s off to the races. Our quarterbacks have done a great job on the deep balls, getting enough air under the ball to let us run underneath them and make plays.”
In the Alouettes’ first pre-season game, he was the team’s leading receiver with four catches and also ran back punts and kickoffs.
“He brings a lot to the table,” said coach Mike Sherman. “He had good in-and-out quickness to be able to play in the slot, but he also has the vertical speed to go deep. He’s been a pleasant surprise. He brings a little more speed to the group than we currently have. I’m anxious to see how he evolves.”
Bray gets another chance to make a good impression Thursday when the Als meet the Ottawa Redblacks (7:30 p.m., TSN1, TSN4, TSN5, RDS, TSN 690 Radio) at Molson Stadium.