Yahoo Sports 
Ticats release all-star corner Delvin Breaux, who's bound for the NFL, the next chapter in his remarkable comeback story
From Louisiana flag football player to CFL all-star, Hamilton Tiger-Cats' cornerback Delvin Breaux has had a remarkable journey, and now it looks like his path will lead him back south of the border. The Ticats announced Saturday that they'd released Breaux, who would have hit free agency Feb. 10. The move is presumably to let Breaux sign with an NFL team early (a smart approach), and he should have no shortage of options there; over 20 teams have brought him in for tryouts, including his hometown New Orleans Saints. That's impressive for someone who didn't even play college football thanks to a devastating injury, and it says a lot about both how well Breaux has performed in Canada and about how CFL players are becoming more attractive to NFL teams. What's most amazing is how a guy who was almost killed in a high school football game is now set to make it to the NFL, though.
Back in 2006, many thought Breaux's life was over, never mind his football career. He was already a promising player at McDonogh 35 High School in New Orleans and had a football scholarship to in-state powerhouse LSU, but suffered a collision during a game that broke one of the vertebrae in his neck, realigned two others and damaged an artery. As he told Dan Ralph of The Canadian Press in 2013 when he came to Ticats' training camp for the first time, doctors said he was lucky to be alive:
"The doctor told me afterwards I should've died on the football field, " Breaux said. "When I was first hurt, I didn't take it too seriously because my adrenalin was pumping but when I found out how bad it was, I broke down. "My parents, everybody, were crying." The six-foot-one, 196-pound Breaux required two operations, the first to fix the broken artery and provide stability in his spine. A metal plate was inserted into his neck during the second procedure. Breaux, who wore a Halo Brace to support the muscles in his neck and keep his head from moving around, lost roughly 30 pounds.
It took Breaux six years to recover to the point where he could play football again, and while he attended LSU, he wasn't able to qualify medically to suit up for the Tigers. That led to him working as a bouncer and in construction after university, and playing flag football and then semi-pro football on the side. Breaux's talent was obvious, though, and he caught on with the New Orleans VooDoo of the Arena Football League in spring 2013 before signing with Hamilton later that year. Breaux became an important piece for the Ticats relatively early on, but really came into his own in 2014, where he was named a league all-star after recording 33 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery and turning into one of the CFL's top shutdown corners. We'll see how he does in the NFL, but more and more CFL defensive backs are making that transition well these days, from the Patriots' Brandon Browner to the Saints' Marcus Ball. Whatever's next for Breaux, he'll be fondly remembered by Hamilton fans for his play the last two seasons, and he should have his own fond memories of the CFL for helping him get back on the NFL radar. It's great to see his incredible football journey continue.
