Blue Bombers’ O'Shea remains mum on status of Bighill ahead of Grey Cup

HAMILTON – Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea remained tight-lipped Friday during his media availability on the status of his starting middle linebacker Adam Bighill ahead of Sunday's Grey Cup against the Montreal Alouettes.

"He looked good today. He looked good," O'Shea said of his 35-year-old linebacker who suffered a non-contact injury in the West Final against the BC Lions. "He's all in. He's in that meeting room with the guys constantly."

O'Shea then recalled a memory he has of Bighill from earlier in the season, highlighting the dedication the three-time Most Outstanding Defensive Player has for his craft.

"On that extra day when we showed up, they sat down with the schedule, and just started marking off exactly every single when day when their free time was (and) when they [linebackers] could meet again."

"They've been locked in and helping each other out."

O'Shea then took a moment to talk about Bighill's potential fill-in, Quebec-born 31-year-old Shayne Gauthier.

When asked about how Gauthier has become more comfortable since becoming a Blue Bomber in 2016, O'Shea joked about how Gauthier learned English.

"He did fake it quite well for a bit," O'Shea said. "I remember asking as a rookie, 'You understand that? Yeah, yeah. You understand English? yeah, yeah.'"

"A couple years later he says, "No, I didn't'"

"He was a tremendous football player and when we got him. And that football IQ was always there, whether it was English or French, the football team was always I thought superb."

"I don't know that I've ever seen him look uncomfortable or be out of place really,” O’Shea continued. “There's always growth just because you get experience year after year. We drafted him because we thought he was really good anyway."

A product of Laval University, Gauthier has been with the Blue Bombers since being drafted by them with the 28th overall pick of the 2016 CFL Draft, winning Grey Cups with the team in 2019 and 2021. He's played in six games this season, making six defensive tackles and another three on special teams.

When asked if he's learned any French from Gauthier, O'Shea said, with a laugh, "I'm ashamed of my French. I should be better."