Drake Nevis | A Place To Call Home
Drake Nevis got hitched to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Tuesday. And on Sunday, he’ll be getting married for real.
The mammoth 27-year-old defensive tackle put his name on a new contract with the Bombers not long after the Canadian Football League free agent market opened for business at 11 a.m.
It’s a massive addition, literally and figuratively, for a Bomber defence that is undergoing a makeover along the defensive line. And the move does two things for the 27-year-old Louisiana product:
1. It provides him with some security, as much as there is in this game, and;
2. Allows him and his fiancée Reese to focus on their wedding this Sunday in New Orleans.
“The Blue Bombers wanted me. I’m thankful for the opportunity,” said Nevis from Louisiana. “They have a great facility and I know a lot of people on the team.”
“It just felt like it was going to be the right place. The door was open on everything. I just went with what I was presented to me and for me and my family, this worked out the best.”
“As for the wedding, we’ve still got a lot of planning to do, but now we can focus on making that day special for her. I’m glad I was able to get in a good situation to make sure these next few days are special and take some of the pressure off her.”
Nevis, a 6-2, 301-pound tackle, who was part of Louisiana State’s national championship team in 2007 and a first-team All-American in 2010, has bounced around the football map looking for a home. A third-round draft choice of the Indianapolis Colts in 2011, he has 26 NFL games under his belt with Indy, the Dallas Cowboys and the Jacksonville Jaguars and also had stints with the San Diego Chargers and Carolina Panthers.
He joined the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last year and formed a formidable inside duo with Ted Laurent, finishing with five sacks and 29 tackles in 14 games.
He’s been described as a ‘beast’ in the trenches and a spectacular teammate.
Great teammate great player great pick up 🙏🏾 https://t.co/aB0fduBwI5
— Simoni Lawrence (@Simoni_Lawrence) February 14, 2017
“I’m blessed with a gift to play at a high level and I love doing it,” said Nevis. “What you see in the game is what you see every day with me. I don’t take anything for granted. That’s every snap, every rep.
“That’s what life is all about, helping the next person to be a better person and then expecting that in return.”
“As long as we approach the goal as a family and hold each other accountable we can accomplish anything. I love a family atmosphere, I love a place where we’re all serving each other. You have to take care of your business off the field, too, because you have people looking up to you.”
Nevis played with Justin Medlock in Hamilton and was a teammate of Jamaal Westerman when the two were both with the Colts. The Bombers showed him some love in the dollars department, but there were other factors that were part of his decision.
“Playing against them, the pieces to the puzzle are all there,” he said.
“I like the stadium, I love the atmosphere and, man, when you have a quarterback, receivers and especially a kicker like that… that’s special.”
