Delvin Breaux: From Tragedy to Triumph!

Delvin Breaux managed to make it to the highest level of football despite suffering a horrific neck injury in high school!

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League has a hell of a cornerback. Delvin Breaux’s play on the field speaks for itself, but it’s what he endured off the field that separates him from the pack. After suffering fractures to his C4, C5, and C6 vertebrae in high school, Breaux was never medically cleared to play college football. Determined not to give up on his football dreams, after becoming medically cleared, Breaux started his professional career with the Louisiana Bayou Vipers of the GDFL. From there he played for the New Orleans Voodoo and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Then it happened, following a workout with the New Orleans Saints, they signed Breaux. Breaux would earn a starting position and stayed on the roster 2-years. After suffering back to back leg injuries, Breaux headed back to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats where he became the highest paid defensive back in the Canadian Football League.

Breaux relives his harrowing story during our recent conversation. His determination serves as motivation for anyone facing adversity.

What’s good with you?

Delvin Breaux: I’m maintaining. I’m doing great, man. I’m spending a lot of quality time with my son and just staying safe, man.

I know gyms are closed right now, but have you made up a workout routine to stick with?

Delvin Breaux: Hamilton, our strength coach sent me down a workout plan; in-home workout plan to do. So, I do those, and I get a chance to go outside and run and do my DB Drills. I go to the lake and do some DB Drills off the hill and stuff like that. I make compromises.

Is the uncertainty of the season the most frustrating part for you or not being able to be around teammates and coaching staff?

Delvin Breaux: Just the situation. You wanna be able to bond with your teammates. You wanna be able to gel. We are doing it on Zoom and Skype. That’s okay, it’ll do for now, but you wanna gel with your teammates and be around those guys. That’s how you build that chemistry.

Your story of perseverance and determine is well documented. I wanted to reach out to you because there are a lot of guys that went undrafted and may be down on themselves. What advice would you give those guys?

Delvin Breaux: Just continue to keep your head up. Continue to keep trucking. God is there. When it’s hard times, you just gotta fall on God. You gotta pray and continue to keep working. But you also have to know, you gotta get up and go get it. You know what I’m saying. You have to go grind, put in those extra hours and be willing to put in those hours when nobody’s looking. Those 3:00 am workout sessions and those 3:00 am film sessions… you have to do those little things so that when your time comes, you’re ready. You don’t have to wait on the coach to tell you, “Hey, let’s go do this.” You’re already ready. Just keep your head up, stay confident and keep going.

You broke your neck in high school [McDonogh 35]. You walked off the field on your own power, even contemplated going back in the game. Instead, you get your father to take you to the ER where a doctor tells you, you should have died on the field with your injury. What made you believe in your mind that your football career wasn’t over?

Delvin Breaux: You know what man, it’s crazy, man. I was in the hospital about to get discharged. And my doctor, Dr. Miguel Melgar, the guy who fixed my neck. Man, I thank him so much. He is an angel. I asked him, I said, “Hey Doc, is football ever going to be for me again? I’m I ever going to be able to play again?” He looked at me and said, “You know what, Delvin, just send me Super Bowl tickets when you make it to the Super Bowl!” He walked out. He didn’t say anything after that. He just turned around and walked out. Man… those words right there sticks with me to this day.

Do you have any regrets throughout the process?

Delvin Breaux: You know what, man… I don’t regret anything. Life’s too short to regret anything. You have to just enjoy every moment, man. And that’s what I’m doing well. Whenever I want to take a vacation or take a trip, go to practice or workout, I go do it because you just never know when it’s your time. I don’t regret nothing. Everything happens for a reason, and I’m loving my journey because it’s just not a straight path to success. It’s a lot of bumps and bruises I have taken on this journey, but the outcome has been magnificent. I’m loving it.

I wish I could have watched you in that purple and gold and playing at LSU, but it all worked out in the long run.

Delvin Breaux: Yeah man, that was crazy times. I wish I would’ve gotten to opportunity to play in that purple and gold. Just being around the university was so cool and so dope. Networking and meeting other people and joining a fellowship; a Christianity Fellowship. It was a pretty dope experience. I enjoyed my time at LSU and I’m thankful.

Anyone that’s ever played any contact sport, especially football knows what it’s like to run back on that field after returning from an injury and living that truth. Do you remember that moment for you when you were in that moment and testing your neck out?

Delvin Breaux: You know what, I knew my neck was good when I got to Dr. Miguel Melgar. Whenever I got into his hands, he seemed like a cool and laid back doctor. I knew I was in good hands from there. It’s crazy because my gut feeling was on par with the Dr. doing my surgery. And it’s weird and crazy how it all happened. I knew I was in good hands with my doctor, I knew my neck was good. I’m not sure that’s the answer you were looking for, but yeah man.

No, that’s amazing that you never had that in-game moment of assurance.

Delvin Breaux: Nah man. It’s crazy.

I watched your story on YouTube. Being from New Orleans and seeing that 504 number on your agents’ phone, having the Saints staff tell you that they didn’t want you leaving the building without signing, relive that moment for me.

Delvin Breaux: Ah man… ah man. That’s a kid’s dream come true, man. Just watching the Saints your whole life growing up and playing for the Goretti Saints park ball league. And being in that black and gold as a kid to being in the black and gold with the Saints and Coach Payton not wanting me to leave after my workout without signing. That was so dope. That was a dope workout for me and my family. And we just enjoyed it. We enjoyed every bit of it, and I made the best of it.

And you’re still playing at a very high level over there in Canada. What is a day in the life of, Delvin Breaux like?

Delvin Breaux: (Laughing), you don’t want to know, man. I be chillin. I be big chillin, man. I stay to myself. I’m gonna give you something. So, if I have my son, we’ll wake up about 8:00 on a normal morning. We will brush our teeth and eat a big breakfast. Then we’ll do some homework. He’s only 3, but I’ll get him on his alphabets. We’re doing work. Then I’ll do some homework while he’s playing on the Ipad. Then I’ll get a workout session in and that’s it. During this quarantine you can’t really do too much. We will walk around the neighborhood and make sure we’re self-distancing with the other neighbors. Man, it’s cool, man. I’m just chill.

How are your people in New Orleans? There were a lot of cases down there. Everyone good?

Delvin Breaux: Yeah man! My mom had a little scare, but she’s doing well. She a solider, man, so we good.

It seems like playing the defensive back position gets harder and harder with the rules being geared towards the receivers and offense in general. How do you stay sharp and on your game?

Delvin Breaux: You know what, you just have to work on your craft and learn from your mistakes. You really have to hone your skills during practice. Practice is important, man. To all the athletes out there that don’t want to practice or think they too good for practice and only want to show up on game day, stop it. Stop it now because practice is where you work your craft and hone your skills. That’s where you become a champion and a winner is in practice. It makes game time way easier. Sometimes during practice, I oven cooking mitts, we have these thumb straps I wear as well to where my hands are on the inside and I’m only using my feet. Whether the receiver catch the ball during practice or not, I know we don’t want that, but we’re working on our craft. Come game time I know, “I can use my feet.” If the referee are calling it tight, I can just use my feet. It’s just a tool and it’s all pretty cool.

Are you more motivated by the uncertainty and using this as fuel, or has it been difficult to get motivated?

Delvin Breaux: I’m actually taking it one day at a time. I don’t care what happens to be honest with you. I’m just going to be ready. I’m going to continue to keep training and spend time with my son and work on my business that I’m building. Until then, we can’t do nothing. I don’t want to jump ahead, so I’m going to stay where my feet at, man.

It’s a pleasure speaking to you, my brother. Good luck to you and the team once the season gets going. Is there anything you want to say before I let you go?

Delvin Breaux: Thank you, man. If ya’ll wanna follow my brand that I just started, it’s a clothing apparel line. It’s on Instagram @breauxshow_apparel_. Ya’ll can go do that. I appreciate you, salute!

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