WINNIPEG — It’s a long road to the university lights for football players.
Several of them face challenges and adversity while chasing their dream.
But few are as tragic as what one Manitoba Bisons running back went through just a few months ago in his hometown of Surrey, BC.
“Sadly my best friend passed away last December,” Jamel Lyles said. “He got stabbed after school. It was very shocking to me, my family and friends. He wasn’t a kid that would have been stabbed or though out to be stabbed.”
Lyles was at work when he found out his friend was killed and says he felt lost in the following days.
“I was enraged with anger and didn’t know what to do,” Lyles said. “The only thing I could result to is football and making it happen.”
The Bisons rookie uses the sport as a way to escape the heartbreak of losing his friend.
“It’s my place of peace,” Lyles said. “It’s where I like to go do, do my thing and get away from a lot of pasts. Just take out a lot of emotions that I have.”
Lyles was named the country’s top offensive player thanks to a 155 yard performance which included a 58 yard touchdown in his first ever game as a Bison. He followed that up with by returning a kickoff 107 yards for a touchdown the ensuing week, earning him the Canada West player of the week award.
“I made promises to my friend,” Lyles said. “We grew up playing football together and that’s one thing we always wanted to do. Go to NFL, go to CFL. I’m just planning to keep my promises that I’ve made down the road and excel my game to the next level.”
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