Jefferson arrives just in time to welcome bye-week baby

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This article was published 27/09/2022 (1075 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Willie Jefferson didn’t have much time to dwell on the Blue Bombers’ disappointing 48-31 road loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

When the Bombers landed in Winnipeg later that night, the star defensive end immediately got off the plane, hopped in his truck, and drove to the HSC Women’s Hospital.

Jefferson’s wife Holly was moments away from giving birth to the couple’s second child.

“I was zooming, staying right above the speed limit,” Jefferson told the Free Press after Tuesday’s practice at IG Field.

“I got there, parked underground, and made it to the delivery room… I walked in, grabbed (Holly’s) hand, gave her a kiss and I was like ‘Baby, I’m here. I made it.’ And as soon as I gave her a kiss, she started pushing. I looked down and the baby was coming. It was that quick. She was basically waiting on me.”

Jefferson made it just in time to welcome a happy and healthy Rielley Rose, who weighed in at six pounds and eight ounces, into the world.

That’s quite the way to kick off a bye week.

“To have a new baby and have my four-year old daughter (Kelley), you would think the house would be hectic, but it’s really smooth,” Jefferson said.

“My newborn, she eats and then sleeps for a good amount of time. It’s pretty much like clockwork. When she wakes up, there’s a lot of poopy diapers, but I’m used to it by now. It’s all good. The bye week came at a perfect time and the baby came at the perfect time.”

Hall not happy with defence’s showing in Hamilton

Bombers defensive co-ordinator Richie Hall wasn’t shy when asked about Week 15’s letdown in Hamilton.

Hall’s defence allowed Tiger-Cats quarterback Dane Evans, a player who’s been criticized all season for his inconsistent play, to complete 25-of-32 passes for 327 yards and five touchdowns.

“They came out and kicked our butts pretty good,” Hall said.

“They just played football. They didn’t do anything special or anything like that, but we weren’t at the top of our game. That’s what happens. Defensively, when you don’t come to play, it gets ugly in a hurry and that’s what happened.”

“They capitalized on our lack of concentration and (were) just playing together as a group, communicating, and they made a bunch of big plays. It’s not so much the plays, it’s how they got their plays. They were easy plays. We gave them uncontested plays where we just didn’t play very well.”

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Playoff scenarios

For the third time in five weeks, the Bombers (12-2) will meet the Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-8). If the Bombers prevail on Friday night at IG Field, they will guarantee themselves a home playoff game. The Bombers can also secure a playoff game at IG Field if the Calgary Stampeders (9-5) fall to the Toronto Argonauts (8-5) Saturday at McMahon Stadium.

If the Riders lose and the Stamps win, Saskatchewan will be eliminated from the West Division playoff race and can only reach the post-season through the crossover. A Riders win and Edmonton Elks (4-10) loss to the visiting Montreal Alouettes (6-7) on Saturday would knock the Elks out of the playoff picture entirely.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31

Taylor Allen
Reporter

Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.

Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.