THE RETURN OF DEVONTE DEDMON

DeVonte Dedmon is one of the CFL’s most dangerous return men, but his return to Ottawa for 2023 was no sure thing. Dedmon was set to become a free agent in February and there would have been no shortage of league-wide interest in his services, because his resume speaks for itself. In 2021, Dedmon won the league’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player Award that year with 2,841 return yards. He also became the fastest player in CFL history to record five return touchdowns in his career.

But Dedmon didn’t even get to free agency, opting to take himself off the market by signing a two-year deal in Ottawa. According to Dedmon, who sat down in the offseason for a wide-ranging interview with FACES, it was an easy decision.

“Ottawa gave me a chance when nobody else did,” said Dedmon. “I remember sitting at home with my parents watching the NFL draft as the timer is going, going, going... and never getting the call. And I remember being down on myself and I’m sitting on my deck with my dad. And I start crying. Like, what am I gonna do?

“And my dad, being the great man that he’s always been, just held me and said, ‘It’s gonna be okay. God has a bigger plan for you.’ And that was that. So I sucked it up, went inside, and had family and friends over. And they were all like, ‘Bro, that’s their loss. You’re gonna go wherever you go and you’re gonna show out like you’ve always done your entire life.’

And that place has turned out to be Ottawa.

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. This is home,” said Dedmon, on the day of his signing. “I’m excited to be back with my teammates and to have the opportunity to learn from this great coaching staff. I believe in this group. This is my family.”

Dedmon now calls Ottawa home in the off-season as well, dealing with the cold and snow for the first time in his life.

“Well, my girlfriend (Erica McCarney) is from Ottawa,” said Dedmon. “We stay out in the Manotick area. She’s actually in Australia right now finishing law school. So I’m just gonna be cheering her on from the sidelines, like she’s always done for me.

“So now I’m just trying to get adjusted out here. I’ve never had to shovel a driveway in my life. I send snaps to my boys back home and they’re like, ‘Bro, it snows every single day there!’”

Home for Dedmon is Williamsburg, Virginia, where he grew up as the middle child in a family of five. School and athletics all took place minutes from his home, including five years at the College of William and Mary. But football actually wasn’t his first choice.

“Yeah, in high school I thought I was gonna be a basketball player,” said Dedmon. “I always took basketball more seriously. In my sophomore year of high school, my brother and I started going to camps and touring schools with my parents. I was like, ‘Listen, I’ll play up until my senior year.’ I was still getting interest for basketball, but it was like, ‘I know I’m five foot nine.’ There’s not a huge career ahead of me in basketball.

“My parents were just like, go get it. Go do whatever you want to do. My dad (Tyrone) played baseball, basketball, and football. My mom (Gina) was a cheerleader and played basketball and softball. So they’ve been around sports. My older sister (Nikkia) played basketball and my younger brother (Keron) and I were just everywhere in the neighbourhood, playing basketball, football, baseball. We even tried tennis and lacrosse. We just did whatever it was that would keep us busy and occupied.”

Dedmon ultimately made his decision to step away from basketball, partly because of his lack of size. Ironically enough, he started out in football as an offensive lineman, a position reserved for bigger bodies.

“Yeah, I played offensive line and then defensive back,” remembers Dedmon. “The Williamsburg Hornets was my youth team. My mom actually became the club’s president, which was really dope because I got to play with all my friends from six years old, all the way up to 18. So it was a really cool experience. I remember making one tackle my first year on this huge guy. My mom never forgets it to this day. She’s like, ‘I knew then and there you had the heart to play.’ She’s always bringing that up.”