‘It means a lot:’ Riders’ Tommy Nield grateful for CFL opportunities

For Tommy Nield, playing in the CFL has been a dream come true.

The Guelph, Ont. product is in his fifth season as a pro in a league he grew up watching.

“If I told myself when I was 10 years old I would be playing in the CFL, I don’t know what I would do. I’m very grateful for the position I’m in right now and still being able to play football,” said the 26-year-old pass-catcher.

“I know there are a lot of people out here that are my age, not playing and wishing that they could. I just take advantage of any opportunity I get and enjoy every day I am out here.”

After spending four seasons with the Toronto Argonauts — and winning two Grey Cups as a member of the double blue — Nield is now a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He will start a second straight game on Saturday due to Sam Emilus suffering a knee injury that landed him on the six-game injured list.

The Riders take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Mosaic Stadium. Kickoff for the game is set for 1 p.m. The Green Zone pregame show begins at 11 a.m.

Tommy credits his dad, Patrick, for really helping him get involved with football. Patrick was a standout linebacker with the Guelph Gryphons and was selected in the fifth round of the 1989 CFL Draft by the B.C. Lions.

“I never felt like it was forced upon me, but I think he’s really happy with how football has gone for me,” Nield said. “He helped coach some of my younger teams and was always supportive of what I’m doing and just a great person to have and look up to and show you how things are done.:

But rather than follow in his dad’s footsteps, Nield decided to play football at McMaster with the Marauders.

“It’s not far from Guelph, but it is a little way from home and just the way my opportunities worked out, it was the best fit for me,” he said.

After four seasons with the Maurauders, Nield was selected in the fourth round (30th overall) by the Argos in the 2021 CFL Draft. As a kid from Ontario, he admits it meant a lot to play for the Argos.

“That was a great experience, having started my CFL career there and playing four years, it did feel like home. I had never lived in Toronto before, but it was easy for family and friends to come out to the games, and I feel like it was a smooth transition going from university to just an hour away; it wasn’t like I was in a whole new place,” Nield said.

He was a part of the 2022 Argos team that claimed victory in the Grey Cup at Mosaic Stadium over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

“That was unbelievable — my second year in the league and getting to play in a Grey Cup game and seeing what that was like and having it be here too, it’s funny how this is where I am now,” he said. “It was freezing cold that whole week, but that’s the CFL and those are the games you want to be playing in when it’s cold out.”

When the opportunity to come to Saskatchewan came up this past offseason, Nield said he was open to the move right from the start.

“It was nice being at home for my first few years, but after playing there for four years, I’m thinking it’s time for a change. I’m open to going wherever and when Sask. reached out to me, I was like, ‘This is a great fit for me,'” he said. “Just knowing about the CFL myself and knowing how big the Riders are in Saskatchewan, it was a no-brainer.”

In his first start for the Riders this season, Nield hauled in just two passes for 39 yards, but one of those was a touchdown in a 34-6 win over the Montreal Alouettes.

“It meant the world. I take a lot of pride in what I do every day here and put in a lot of work. So, to know the coaches trust me in putting me in a starting role like that, it means a lot. It means the work is starting to show in what I put into my game,” Nield said.