After being let go from the Toronto Argonauts amidst rumours and questions on his character, Tori Gurley signed with the Blue Bombers late last week. Now he wants to set the record straight, once and for all. This is his story, in his words.
I am not a bad guy, let me start by saying that.
And before I go any further, I want to thank the Toronto Argonauts for the opportunity they gave me.
Now, just understand that everything you heard in the media over the last few days you have to take with a grain of salt. It’s something that has been spun and torqued and has made particular individuals out to be rude or disrespectful or unappreciative of their opportunity. That’s not me or my peers involved in this.
But everything happens for a reason, and I’m excited to be a Blue Bomber and so ready to get to work.
The last few days have been really hard. I feel really bad for my mother because she didn’t raise me to be a bad person. I’m very competitive, very passionate, and very fiery about the game of football. I love it and it means the world to me.
I come from good morals and values, and to have my mom read those articles, that’s what hurts me the most.
I’ll always remember when I left the house when I was 18 years-old to go off to college. She told me, ‘Boy, act like you’ve got some sense. Act like you’ve been raised.’ It feels like those articles have made me out to be a bad guy and I’m far from it.
People will ask about seeing me on the sideline arguing with the coach in Toronto. Here’s how I want to explain it: I’m very passionate and during the game I talk with the coach all the time. It starts with the first quarter and goes right through the fourth quarter.
Every game.
I’m asking what he has in mind, what does he see. I tell him what I see. It’s just trying to be on the same page as him with the play calling.
I got frustrated with some of the losing, with the ball not coming my way, and with some of the plays that were called. Sometimes I felt like we were surrendering on second and third down instead of being aggressive and trying to keep the offence on the field.
But I hope people know I’m a team-first guy.
If you watch the tape, you’ll see me run blocking, you’ll see me in the right spot, you’ll see me talking to my teammates about different coverages and different leverages we see in order to have that competitive edge. When the camera catches a moment, it’s something small in the big picture that doesn’t represent me as an individual.
It helped to have T.J. Heath here who talked great about the organization after he went through the transition from Toronto to here. Plus, a former Bomber that I grew up watching play here is Jonathan Hefney and we talked, too. Jonathan and I are both from Rock Hill, South Carolina. Actually, we’re next-door neighbours. He lives across the street from me.
I just remember Jonathan playing here, having fun and that the secondary here back then was the focal point of the team. They flew around and made plays and he was out there just being himself, being silly.
I always told myself that if I ever had the opportunity to be a Blue Bomber, I want to do it like him.
I remember his days and ‘Swaggerville’ and how this fan base is. Once the news was out I was signing here, there were so many fans that reached out to welcome me here with open eyes.
Coming to Winnipeg is a fresh start for me. It’s a new beginning. I feel – with or without me – that the Blue Bombers will win the Grey Cup. With this opportunity presenting itself, I just had to jump on it.
But know this, too: I’m going to play a lot better pissed off. I have a positive chip on my shoulder because now Coach O’Shea has given me an opportunity to come out and help this team.
Anything I can do, if it’s me playing special teams, if it’s me blocking or catching a pass, whatever it takes to help this team and go on a run that ends with hoisting a Grey Cup trophy at the end is what it’s all about.
