Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander said Winnipeg’s David Reese taunted him about Alexander’s deceased father after the Alouettes beat the Blue Bombers 33-23 in the East final.
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Davis Alexander returned the Montreal Alouettes to the Grey Cup and said Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive lineman David Reese taunted him about his late father shortly after Montreal’s 33-23 victory in Saturday’s East Division final at Percival Molson Stadium.
Alexander said Reese, “multiple times, talked about my dead dad,” and that while he was ready to respond, he kept his composure. He said he “did fire up,” but “stayed in the game,” then took a second in the locker room after the exchange before returning to support his teammates.
Alexander’s father, Matt, died at age 56 in August 2024 after a battle with lung cancer. The quarterback said he was also seen jawing with Winnipeg players multiple times during the game, including once in the second half when teammates pulled him toward the sidelines.
Tyson Philpot, the Alouettes’ outstanding Canadian receiver, said he was on the field for one of the exchanges and supported Alexander. Philpot said the remarks were “super disrespectful” and that there is “no place in our game for stuff like that,” adding Reese “literally said that's why Davis's dad died.”
On the field, Alexander threw for 373 yards and two touchdowns to help Montreal advance. Tyrice Beverette forced a pivotal late fumble, sacking Zach Collaros and recovering the ball with 3:50 remaining to swing momentum as Winnipeg tried to rally from a 26-23 deficit.
Alexander then capped an eight-play drive with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Snead for a score with 1:11 left, as Montreal held on in the final minutes.
Collaros, returning from a rib injury, completed 21 of 27 passes for 228 yards for Winnipeg. He entered the game after being a game-time decision, having been injured in the Bombers’ regular-season finale and missing Winnipeg’s 25-22 East semifinal win over Toronto.
Beverette and Collaros’ key sequence came after Winnipeg had cut Montreal’s lead to 26-23. After forcing the turnover, Beverette recovered a fumble to set up the decisive final stretch, which ended with Montreal adding the late touchdown pass.
Alexander was also coming off last season’s Grey Cup loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, when he battled a nagging hamstring injury. Montreal finished the regular season with a CFL-best 14-4 record.
Montreal will play in the Grey Cup on Nov. 15 at McMahon Stadium in Calgary against the Edmonton Elks, who beat the visiting B.C. Lions 28-16 in Saturday’s West final. Alexander said, “We got our way back, and there's nothing guaranteed.”
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