This week we乌鸦传媒檙e doing something different. We decided to write about some interesting things that fly under the radar with the B.C. Lions, so here are Ten Things You Probably Didn乌鸦传媒檛 Know About Your B.C. Lions.
1) Guard Sukh Chungh is the team乌鸦传媒檚 unofficial DJ.
The departure of Dom Rhymes left a void on the team and we乌鸦传媒檙e not talking about the receiver position.
Rhymes, you see, was the team DJ on all the flights coming home.
Enter Chungh.
乌鸦传媒淗e乌鸦传媒檚 OK but there is an issue in that he keeps forgetting to download the music before he gets on the plane. He乌鸦传媒檚 an old man but he乌鸦传媒檚 getting there,乌鸦传媒� says fullback David Mackie.
Chungh doesn乌鸦传媒檛 necessarily know how he got the gig but he乌鸦传媒檚 running with it.
乌鸦传媒淚 have a diverse music catalogue. I can go from country to rap to EDM (Electronic Dance Music). The Punjabi is yet to come but that is going to happen. When you乌鸦传媒檙e sitting in front of me (on the plane), don乌鸦传媒檛 be shocked when it does,乌鸦传媒� says Chungh, now in his ninth CFL season.
And Chungh disputes the claim that he doesn乌鸦传媒檛 have enough music downloaded.
乌鸦传媒淵our sources are wack. I know your source,乌鸦传媒� laughs Chungh looking at Mackie a few yards away. 乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e actually switched my mobile plan and I am getting faster downloads.乌鸦传媒�
2) Kicker Carl Meyer and his wife house-sat for Stifler乌鸦传媒檚 Mom.
Meyer is a former rugby player who is trying to crossover into football as a kicker and is currently on the Lions practice roster as a Global player.
He has played rugby in his native South Africa, Wales and France. Meyer also played in New Orleans with NOLA Gold of Major League Rugby.
It was during his time in New Orleans that Meyer and his wife (Carolyn Ray) house sat for Jennifer Coolidge and hung out on occasions with the award-winning actress.
Coolidge recently starred in two seasons of The White Lotus but is best known for her role as 乌鸦传媒楽tifler乌鸦传媒檚 Mom乌鸦传媒� in the American Pie quartet of movies.
As Coolidge told Meyer 乌鸦传媒� and is on the record in several interviews - being known as 乌鸦传媒楽tifler乌鸦传媒檚 Mom乌鸦传媒� has had its benefits when it comes to her social life.
3) Receiver Alexander Hollins is the Lions self-proclaimed Four Square champion.
The rules of Four Square are ambiguous at best but the Lions have their own version of the game that they play every day in the locker room at the team乌鸦传媒檚 Surrey practice facility.
The games get so loud that the noise from the trash talking permeates to the executive offices on the second floor.
As for those rules? Well, that乌鸦传媒檚 up for debate says punter Stefan Flintoft.
乌鸦传媒淎t one point last year there was a cardboard cutout with rules written on it. It was like the Ten Commandments of Four Square that Sione (Teuhema) wrote out,乌鸦传媒� Flintoft told us recently on an edition of Lions On Tap.
That codified version has disappeared.
乌鸦传媒淎ll I know is that they乌鸦传媒檙e all sweating and yelling during their games,乌鸦传媒� adds Flintoft.
The only thing for certain is that Hollins thinks he乌鸦传媒檚 the top dog.
乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 the best. No ifs, ands or buts about it. I乌鸦传媒檓 the best. They can fight for second or third place or whatever. I乌鸦传媒檓 the best,乌鸦传媒� Hollins deadpanned after practice recently.
4) Center Tyler Packer is the team乌鸦传媒檚 best video gamer.
Very rarely can you get a unanimous answer when you pose a question to a team but ask any Lion who the best gamer is and it乌鸦传媒檚 not even close.
Center Tyler Packer.
The 6乌鸦传媒�6乌鸦传媒� 315-pound giant who hails from Calgary owns all, particularly when it comes to his game of choice which is Call of Duty.
Packer played video games growing up but really sharpened his skills during COVID to the point where he乌鸦传媒檚 actually played in professional tournaments with some gaming teammates.
His gaming career is now on the back-burner, but make no mistake about it, he乌鸦传媒檚 the best on the team.
5) Kicker Sean Whyte is the team乌鸦传媒檚 best golfer乌鸦传媒or now.
The Lions have some pretty good golfers on the team but Whyte takes great pride in his game - so much so that he got riled up a couple of years ago when he 乌鸦传媒榙ropped乌鸦传媒� to fourth in a draft for a team event.
Mackie organizes a team golf outing every year but he always allows for some high handicap golfers to be captains and select the teams.
Somewhere over Manitoba on a flight home after a game back east, Whyte fell to the fourth pick overall and it didn乌鸦传媒檛 sit well with the future Hall-of-Famer.
He乌鸦传媒檚 the best but his reign may soon be over for a variety of factors.
Quarterback Jake Dolegala is nipping on Whyte乌鸦传媒檚 heels as is Mackie, who shot a 78 from the blues at Kings Links by the Sea recently.
More importantly, Whyte will have to overcome two of the biggest challenges that face ANY golfer.
He乌鸦传媒檚 getting married and he has a newborn on the way.
6) Linebacker Ryder Varga is probably the smartest player on the team.
Varga was selected by the Lions in the 2022 CFL Draft but decided to stay at the University of Regina to finish his degree in Environmental Engineering.
乌鸦传媒淚 told teams I wanted to go back to school to finish my last three classes and get my degree,乌鸦传媒� said Varga.
As for being the smartest guy on the team?
乌鸦传媒淚 don乌鸦传媒檛 want to say that but maybe I乌鸦传媒檓 the best at math,乌鸦传媒� said Varga with a laugh.
7) Defensive tackle Tibo Debaillie is the team乌鸦传媒檚 resident expert on the 乌鸦传媒榦ther乌鸦传媒� football.
While Whyte jumped on the England bandwagon during Euro 2024, it乌鸦传媒檚 Debaillee who is the biggest fan of the Beautiful Game.
乌鸦传媒淗e (Whyte) only watched the Euros for England but Josh (Archibald) is a very big Manchester City fan as is our equipment guy Aaron (Yeung),乌鸦传媒� noted Debaillie.
Being from Belgium, it乌鸦传媒檚 understandable that Debaillie loves soccer.
乌鸦传媒淢y favorite team is Liverpool and back home it乌鸦传媒檚 Club Brugge, who just became champions of Belgium,乌鸦传媒� said Debaillie.
8) Linebacker Bo Lokombo travelled to Kenya this past off-season with World Vision.
It has always been a dream for the veteran Lions linebacker to travel to Africa, and when World Vision was looking for ambassadors from the CFL, Lokombo pounced on the opportunity.
The foundation helps impoverished kids throughout the world and that aligned with Lokombo乌鸦传媒檚 core values.
乌鸦传媒淭he trip to Kenya took a couple of years to get ready for but it was something I couldn乌鸦传媒檛 pass up on. It was an amazing eight days,乌鸦传媒� said Lokombo, who was joined by CFL players Miles Brown (Saskatchewan), Henoch Muamba (Toronto), Eugene Lewis (Edmonton), Dom Rhymes (Ottawa) and Tyron Vrede (Ottawa).
9) Quarterback Chase Brice was in Trevor Lawrence乌鸦传媒檚 wedding party.
Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence is one of the NFL乌鸦传媒檚 biggest stars and most think his B.C. connection lies with former Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke, who spent most of last season with the Jags.
But his biggest link to the Leos is current third-string quarterback Chase Brice, who spent the first three years of his college career at Clemson and backed up Lawrence for the last two.
The pair became such close friends that Brice wound up being a groomsman at Lawrence乌鸦传媒檚 wedding in 2021.
乌鸦传媒淭hat was a really cool moment for me and him. For the longest time, it seemed it was just me, him, Ben Batson and Patrick McClure,乌鸦传媒� Brice told BCLions.com during a recent interview.
The four Clemson players developed a special bond over that short period of time. 乌鸦传媒淲e were always together and doing things. We乌鸦传媒檇 go over to Trevor乌鸦传媒檚 and shoot hoops in the garage or just hang out and watch The Office. We乌鸦传媒檇 do a lot of low-key things,乌鸦传媒� noted Brice.
10) Cornerback Ciante Evans has worked the last three Super Bowls.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a contracted gig. I work for a company that handles transportation and logistics,乌鸦传媒� explained Evans.
According to Evans, the company is called the SP Plus Corporation and it provides parking facility management services. One of their contracts is with the NFL for the Super Bowl.
乌鸦传媒淚 help with transportation logistics. It乌鸦传媒檚 basically ingress and egress. We乌鸦传媒檒l be at a staging area and get people on buses and then send them to the stadium or wherever else they need to go. Then we will take them back to where we picked them up,乌鸦传媒� said Evans.
Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob 乌鸦传媒渢he Moj乌鸦传媒� Marjanovich writes twice weekly for Black Press Media.
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