If anyone knows anything about being bullied, it’s Shea Emry.
The Richmond native may be a recently retired, championship-winning CFL star, but the former footballer’s life wasn’t always laced with Grey Cup glory.
Emry was, for the majority of his childhood years, the victim of bullies, often more verbal than physical, which is ironic given the profession that brought him so much success.
Emry admits, however, the manner in which he processed the taunting said as much about him as it did about the bullies.
“It pretty much happened from about five (years old) to about high school age,” said Emry, who retired from football a few weeks ago due to a string of debilitating concussions throughout his career, which were linked with a major struggle with depression.
“My previous experiences (Emry was abused as a child) just made everything worse and it made my childhood interactions even more difficult,” he said.
“Someone without any confidence takes comments very badly. It was mostly words. I was being made fun of most days, sometimes by girls.
“What it did was make me tell myself things that weren’t true. I didn’t want to deal with it at the time. But that’s why it’s so important to talk about it with people you trust.”
Emry, 29, who grew up near No. 2 and Woodwards roads, and attended Vancouver College, said his parents were a “great support system,” growing up, but “like most parents, they can only do so much.
“I just tucked (the bullying) away. But that silence became toxic for me and I began searching for things to make me feel better.
“I found food as an outlet and had a horrible diet.”
Thankfully, added Emry, he also, around the same time in his early teens, discovered athletics, especially football.
And, over time, he realized he couldn’t keep eating pizza every day and started looking after himself more.
“I recognized I was trying to make myself feel better with the food and all that crap was detrimental,” Emry said.
“Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy five cent candy from the 7-Eleven on Woodwards.”
Now a father-of-one and another on the way, Emry said he’s very cognizant, given his experiences growing up, of the manner in which he may react if one of his children arrives home with a story about being bullied.
“It does give me a lot of perspective. As a father, I think about how I’m going to react,” he said.
“I need to recognize that I might have a reaction that doesn’t help the situation.
“As an adult, however, I’m also aware that there may be a time when my behaviour borders on being bullish and it’s good to be aware of that and the effect it can have on a person.”
Before retiring from professional sports, Emry set up his own men’s wellness business venture, called Wellmen, which offers mental and physical wellness adventures.
He now lives in Dunbar with his 16-month-old son, Rozen Oak Emry, and his fellow Richmondite partner, Devon Brooks, who’s expecting their second child.
