Blue Bombers fan hasn't worn pants in 17 years after Grey Cup bet

Sometimes ‘being a man of your word’ means having to bail friends and family out of sticky situations, or sacrificing those after work beers in order to shed that extra ten pounds you promised yourself you would.

Other times, it means spending almost every waking hour of the last 17 years not wearing pants.

Obviously a legend and a man of great integrity and honour, Winnipeg resident Chris Matthew has stuck to a promise he made in 2001 when he relayed to a group of buddies the fateful words that would soon render him trouser-less for years to come. He promised he would not yet again put on a pair of pants until his beloved Blue Bombers won the Grey Cup.

Luckily for Matthew — or so he thought — it would only be a few days before Winnipeg captured the crown, as the heavily favoured Bombers were set to trample the under-.500 Stampeders

“They were 14-4, and they were playing 8-10 Calgary. I thought it was a no-brainer. Apparently, I’m the no-brainer,” Matthew told the CBC on Wednesday.

In the midst of an unseasonably warm November and with the Bombers all but a guaranteed to capture the CFL championship in mere days, it seemed like a safe bet from Matthews’ standpoint, and on paper it was. But it didn’t quite turn out that way, and Calgary shockingly dropped Winnipeg 27-19 on that Sunday in Montreal and the Bombers haven’t captured the crown since.

That was 17 years ago, and Matthew has followed through on his promise almost to a tee, though he admitted to the CBC that he’s “been forced to wear pants about a dozen times when circumstance compelled him to do so,” such as funerals and functions of the like where the whole no-pants situation wouldn’t be easily explained or accepted.

As for regular daily activities, the Bombers diehard hasn’t wavered despite the fact that he obviously looks a little out of place trudging his way through those notoriously frigid Winnipeg winters without the warm comfort of a cozy pair of slacks to depend on — though he does wear long john johns under his shorts to clear his driveway and things of that nature.

“Nobody I know in my circle of friends even bats an eye anymore,” said Matthew. “I do get odd looks in grocery stores and on the street and things.”

And, no, he does not miss anything about regularly wearing pants, incase you were wondering.

“Nothing. Really, nothing, not a thing,” he said. “It’s almost like I’ve become numb or used to it.”

This world needs more honest people like this dude right here. Be like Chris, everyone.

Be like Chris.

(H/T CBC Manitoba)