Dennis, Derek during the TSN shoot at Evraz Place in Regina, SK. Wednesday, March 22, 2017. (Photo: Johany Jutras)
Derek Dennis’ hair matches his personality.
Both are colourful.
Dennis, who signed as a free agent with the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Feb. 14, showed up for CFL Week in Regina with a green tinge in his hair.
It wasn’t a perfect dye job — Dennis admitted he still has work to do with the hue — but he has plenty of time to practise.
“I was just playing around with some colours, seeing which one will fit me for the season,” says the 6-foot-3, 341-pound Dennis, who was named the CFL’s most outstanding offensive lineman in 2016 when he was a member of the Calgary Stampeders.
“I’m going to play around with some more greens. The only thing is, looking for a nice shade of green is hard. I didn’t realize that.”
It hasn’t taken people long to realize that Dennis is a gregarious individual. The 28-year-old product of Queens, N.Y., was a popular interview subject during CFL Week and his signature was a must-have for autograph seekers.
His appearance on the Mark’s CFL Week Live show with teammates Nic Demski and Jarriel King produced plenty of laughs, especially when Dennis told the audience he once hit a player so hard that “I heard him fart.”
It’s all part of Dennis’ outgoing nature, fostered in large part by his family.
“We’ve always been people who want to interact with everybody else and make everyone feel like they know us personally,” Dennis says. “I want to be a joy to be around.
“I don’t want people to say, ‘I don’t like talking to that guy. Sometimes he can be a little pompous or rude.’ I don’t want to be that guy. I want to be the guy who people say, ‘I want to be around Derek Dennis. I want to see what he has to say.’ That’s what it’s about.
“I grew up idolizing Shaquille O’Neal, so maybe I stole some things from him as a persona. I realize that, as athletes, we’re entertainers — so why not give them some entertainment?”
Dennis uses many vehicles to entertain. He’s an engaging interviewee in one-on-ones or scrums, but he’s even more of a character on Twitter.
As @6Bonecrusher3, Dennis gets into it with opposing players — he and a former Stampeders teammate, defensive end Charleston Hughes, were constant foils during CFL Week — as he attempts to create some excitement.
“Everybody’s used to the skill guys doing it,” Dennis says of Twitter confrontations. “They get to carry the ball. They get to put up the stats. D-linemen can talk because they get sacks. So why can’t O-linemen do it? Why can’t I tell somebody, ‘I’m going to pancake you. I’m going to jack you up. You’re not going to get to my quarterback.’
“I don’t think people are used to seeing an O-lineman do it, so that’s why everybody’s eating it up.”
Do his efforts on social media mean he’s going to get the Roughriders’ other offensive linemen to start chirping opponents on Twitter?
“To each his own, man,” Dennis replies. “I’m not going to get anybody to do something they’re not comfortable with.
“Being from New York, it’s one of those things I learned growing up. When you play on the playgrounds in New York, trash-talking is what comes with it. If people are talking trash to you and you’re trying to be the quiet guy who doesn’t talk, it’s going to make them want to keep coming after you.
“If you’re going to talk trash to me, I’m going to talk trash to you. If I feel like talking trash gets you off your game, I’m going to say something you don’t want to hear. If you’re going to talk, you’d better be able to back it up.”
Dennis got his nickname when he was in high school — but initially it had nothing to do with his efforts on the football field and basketball court.
As a teenager, he sported a big afro, a hairstyle choice that prompted some to compare Dennis with the rapper Bone Crusher. Then, after people saw Dennis do his thing on the field and court, the nickname stuck.
He says he “took pride in trying to live up to the name” — but that approach seems to fly in the face of his easygoing personality.
“Bonecrusher is like my superhero alter ego,” Dennis says. “When it’s time to play football, I turn into a savage, mean guy with snot running out his nose and sweating and screaming and looking at people angrily like I want to hurt them. But off the field, I’m a fun-loving guy. People call me a teddy bear.
“I like to switch it up. When I’m off the field, I’m a nice guy. When I’m on the field, that’s when it’s time to be Bonecrusher.”
