Winnipeg loves Chris Streveler, and the Grey Cup-winning quarterback says he loves the city right back.
Streveler, already a fan favourite for his play on the field, became a walking symbol of the city’s mood after the historic victory, due to his (admittedly) alcohol-fueled antics during Tuesday’s parade.
Shirtless underneath a fur coat, wearing a cowboy hat, a gold chain, and chugging a seemingly never-ending stream of booze, Streveler took celebrating to the next level.
“You work so hard all season to do that, I feel it’s only right that you should celebrate it,” he told 680 CJOB.
“It means so much to the people here, and they want to celebrate it… so it just makes us want to celebrate more.”
The now-famous parade outfit, in fact, was something Streveler picked out months ago. The fur coat belongs his girlfriend’s mother, and was something he joked he’d wear in the event the Bombers won the Cup — something that wasn’t a certainty at that point in the season.
The 24-year-old quarterback said he has no idea how much he had to drink during the celebrations — a party he hopes to continue at the RBC Convention Centre at Friday’s social — but thinks the social media reaction to his antics is hilarious.
“We were just chanting ‘NEED BEER IMMEDIATELY’ and people were throwing us beers. We were slamming ’em, chucking ’em back in the crowd.
“I lost count, to be honest with you.”
A Bomber since 2018, Streveler’s future remains a question mark, as he’s entering free agency, but he said there’s no colours he’d rather wear than blue and gold.
“I wanna come back. I’ve told everyone I really wanna be back. I think everyone knows at this point how much I love Winnipeg and how much I love the Bombers,” he said.
“I hope it happens. Sometimes a lot of that stuff is out of your control, but I sure do love Winnipeg.
“It’s just been an unbelievable ride and I don’t think it’s over yet. I love it here and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”