Big Blue DB bounces back

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/06/2023 (867 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Abu Daramy-Swaray had tears in his eyes as he made the 16-hour drive home to Westerville, Ohio.

When the XFL’s Arlington Renegades released the defensive back in February, it left the former Colgate University standout to wonder if his professional football career was over.

“I was definitely worried,” Daramy-Swaray told reporters after Wednesday’s practice at IG Field. “And then I got the phone call from my agent saying the Bombers wanted me. Of course, I was hesitant at first, I just didn’t know much. But once I got here, it just felt like home.”

With Demerio Houston ruled out for Thursday night’s tilt with the visiting BC Lions due to personal reasons, Daramy-Swaray will take his spot at boundary corner for his first career start.

It’s an opportunity he’s had to be patient for.

Daramy-Swaray finished his NCAA career in 2019, just a few months before the pandemic hit. It wiped out his pro day, which in turn, played a big role in him failing to score an NFL tryout. He ended up getting an offer to play professionally in Germany for the Potsdam Royals, and he took it.

“Coming over here wasn’t too different for me because I kind of already know what it’s like to be away from home and be in a whole new country where you don’t know anyone and you’re just learning to trust those around you,” said Daramy-Swaray.

Bombers defensive end Thiadric Hansen played for the Royals in 2019.

“(Hansen) and I talked about (Potsdam). We had a nice little bonding moment,” said Daramy-Swaray, who has also been able to bond with Zach Collaros as the quarterback’s hometown of Steubenville is a 90-minute drive from Westerville.

When Daramy-Swaray returned home, he delivered pizzas to help pay the bills. He ended up having to work the night of the 2022 Super Bowl and miss his hometown Cincinnati Bengals take on the Los Angeles Rams.

He couldn’t help but cry knowing that he was missing the big game and that his own personal future in the game was up in the air.

But a few months later, he finally caught a break. The Bengals saw his tape from the German league and invited him to their rookie minicamp. He ended up signing a contract with the club at the end of the tryout.

Daramy-Swaray went on to make two tackles in a preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals before getting released.

“To be given an opportunity with the Bengals, at that point when it happened, it was the best moment of my life and the best moment of my family’s life because they finally got to see me achieve my childhood dream,” said Daramy-Swaray.

He spent the first two weeks of this season on the Bombers practice squad.

“He’s an even-keeled guy. Doesn’t let a lot of things rattle him,” said Bombers safety Brandon Alexander. “He works hard, runs to the ball, wants to make plays, and is a good guy. A really good guy.”

With all the ups and downs the CFL newcomer has had in his football journey, getting a chance to play again means that much more.

“It’s an honour, it’s a privilege, and it’s honestly been one of my dreams just to play professional football,” said Daramy-Swaray. “When I got that text saying I was going to get called up, it was one of those things where I’ve been ready for this moment. I’ve been preparing all week and all season as if I was going to play.”

Shortly after getting the text, he called his mom, Dusu. Daramy-Swaray spent the first five years of his life in Sierra Leone before he was able to flee the war-torn country with his mother. Dusu had to leave Daramy-Swaray’s older brother Lance, who was eight at the time, behind to be cared for by other members of the family.

It took nine years for Lance to be finally able to join his family in the United States. Daramy-Swaray’s father was killed in the war before he was born.

“I think it’s made me tougher… It has forcefully allowed me to learn that things will not go your way and you have to be OK with that and you have to readjust,” said Daramy-Swaray.

“And quite frankly, that’s kind of how the game of football is. You could be prepared for everything, but something can be thrown at you that you’re not ready for. But at the end of the day, you can’t just roll over and call it a day. You have to get up and keep rolling with the punches and I think that’s a lot of what my life represents.”

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.