‘It was motivation’

Instead of gearing up for his first full season of CFL football, Matt Jaworski was in a hospital bed wondering if he’d ever get to play again.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive end was in a serious car crash in March and has several scars on his face — which he pointed out to reporters on Sunday — to prove it.

The 23-year-old from Buffalo, N.Y., was placed on the retirement list in May. Over the weekend, the Bombers signed him to the practice roster.

“I appreciate Winnipeg taking me back and I’m ready to go,” he said after practice.

“Football helped me get back to normal. It was motivation… ‘All right, let’s get back. I’ve got a season to get back to.’ It was always in the back of my head — if my body let me, I was going to come back to play football and I did.

“Got a couple scars, but didn’t break any bones, and feel pretty good. Excited to be back and ready to play football.”

The Fordham University product didn’t go into the specifics of the accident, but he was in the hospital for several weeks and lost a significant amount of weight.

The Bombers initially signed Jaworski to the practice roster last October.

“A huge thanks to my parents, for a while they took care of me — for about a month or two. It took me about two months to get back to normal and getting in the gym again and just starting to get my diet right,” he said.

“Every day needed work to get back to normal and get back to where I am now.”

Jaworski made his pro debut at the end of the 2025 campaign when he started the regular-season finale at home against Montreal.

The 6-5, 260-pound defender made a strong first impression by recording a sack and a tackle in the outing.

“When he was here before, we obviously really liked his work ethic and the habits he has, and certainly those foundational habits are what allow a guy to come back and get to this level again,” said head coach Mike O’Shea.

“When football gets taken away from you, when they step back on the field, I think there’s just a ton of gratitude and joy, and things seem right again.

“I haven’t really got into the full details of that with him, but he’s certainly been through a whole hell of a lot in the last little while.”

Kydran Jenkins and David Reese have both started at the defensive end spot opposite Willie Jefferson this season. With neither Jenkins nor Reese jumping off the page, the door is potentially open for Jaworski to eventually find his way into the lineup.

Jaworski was a four-year starter at Fordham and was named second-team All-Football Championship Subdivision — the second highest level of U.S. college football — and the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year in 2024.

“I was nervous (today). But you just need a couple of days, you stack days and get your confidence back,” said Jaworski.

“My body feels great and I’m excited for tomorrow.”

The Bombers (4-4) host the Ottawa Redblacks (0-8) on Friday.

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