Change isn’t always easy. Sometimes change is rewarding when your life now depends on it.
Terry Williams is undergoing a life-changing transition this offseason as he and his fiancé, Elantra Owens, welcomed their newborn child on December 21, 2023. The ultra-quick receiver and return specialist has since gained an extra sense of responsibility where he must protect the family at all costs.
“It’s exciting. Every step of the way, you learn how to be a father. You’re protecting. Your instincts to protect go up. I don’t want to put her down, I always want to be there holding her. So, it is life-changing,” Williams said.
Although he couldn’t anticipate what being a father truly feels like, it all changed when he first lay his eyes on his daughter.
“It’s wonderful. I wouldn’t trade it for anything else,” he added.
The ability to juggle his football life and learn how to raise an infant with his fiancé is still a work in progress. The couple have been adapting to this change and welcoming this new chapter to their lives.
Williams and his fiancé, Elantra have been finding success when they put on jazz instrumental music and relaxing R&B music that helps the baby to sleep. They prefer the album by artist Jhené Aiko: Sleep Soul Relaxing R&B Baby Sleep Music.
“You wake up in the middle of the night, make a bottle. She wakes up, I talk to her while I feed her. Put her to sleep, lay her down. I’m on her sleep schedule. When she sleeps, I sleep,” Williams said.
“The baby likes soft jazz music and Jhené Aiko’s baby album. I like them too. I’d be telling her how beautiful she is when I’m holding her.”
Photo credit: Terry Williams & Elantra Owens
The 27-year-old receiver and return specialist is also getting back on track with his offseason training routine.
“I’m trying to get in there every day once a week. I’ll move it up to two times a day. Trying to get as many reps as I can on my craft, like my energy when I’m on the field,” Williams said.
“Right now, it’s working on getting my muscles back. During the season, you usually don’t work out as much, that’s when you build your strength and muscle mass in the offseason. When you get closer to the season, you would want to get your quickness, get those fast-twitching muscles back.”
As a primary returner for the Lions, Williams prepares his body to endure a lot of hits from opposing teams.
“It’s a part of the game. I’m trying to make people miss. During the offseason, you’re learning to bounce off tackles, learn how to juke and create separation,” he said.
One of CFL’s top returners for two seasons in a row led the league in kickoff return yards in back-to-back seasons, Scary Terry has the ambition to keep the same trend going in 2024.
Williams finished on top of the CFL with 1,526 kickoff return yards in 2022 and 1,315 kickoff return yards in 2023. The dynamic returner is also a threat on punt returns, finishing fifth in the league in 2022 and third in 2023 on total punt return yards.
“Whatever it takes to help the team. I’m here to help the team, get better at my craft, no matter if it’s returning or being a receiver, I’m willing to help any way I can,” Williams said.
The Lions also signed defensive back, Lawrence Woods, who is another dangerous returner that can tear up the opposing team in the return game. Woods finished the 2022 season with 990 kickoff return yards and added 807 punt return yards. The addition of the former Hamilton Tiger-Cats will make the 2024 training camp battle even more intense.
“You get great all-around players in this league so I’m very excited. As a competitor, you always want to compete at the highest level with your teammates,” Williams added.
In his brief one-and-a-half season with the Lions following a trade from Ottawa REDBLACKS in 2022, Williams quickly assimilated with his Lions teammates — especially with the receivers.
“The receiving core is always going to be special because it is those moments outside of the locker room, the meeting room that make us like a family. They reached out to me when I had my daughter, we reached out to each other with funny TikToks. There are jokes, fun, and seriousness when we need to be serious. That’s what I love about this team,” Williams said.
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Like the time when Williams dined out with defensive back, Quincy Mauger and receiver Lucky Whitehead at The Lunch Lady, an award-winning Vietnamese fusion restaurant in Vancouver. Williams had a blast experiencing cross-cultural cuisine and bonding with his teammates.
Although eating with chopsticks wasn’t his strongest suit, Williams said that’s another skill he is working on this offseason.
“That was a learning experience. I thought I knew how to use chopsticks in my head. But it didn’t go so well. I’m training on that too.”