Although Antoine Brooks Jr. is an esteemed alumnus of the University of Maryland, he would have been a natural for Bowling Green.
Brooks Jr., the starting strong-side linebacker for the green-clad Saskatchewan Roughriders, loves bowling.
“I’ve got two bowling balls on my own,” the always-jocular Brooks Jr. noted. “Not a lot of people have got their own bowling ball. I’ve got two of them.”
This revelation was part of an interview that was initially intended as a basic player profile — likes, dislikes, favourite food, favourite movie, hobbies, etc.
Those boxes were checked, to be certain, during a lighthearted conversation that was, well, right up his alley.
“My other sports?” he continued. “Basketball, bowling … shoot, I do a little tennis, too. I’m not going to lie. I got into tennis at 14.”
Oh? I suppose he has his own tennis balls, too!
“I’ve got two racquets and 18 tennis balls,” Brooks Jr. replied. “That’s what I do, man.
“Any other time, I’m very family-oriented. I’ve got to stay active so, if I’m not active, I’m with my family and chilling with them.
“My little brother, he was just here for the first game (against the B.C. Lions on June 13) and he had fun. Everybody knows him already.
“He looks like me. He’s just a bony version of me, so when everybody sees him, they’ve got to double-look and go, ‘Is that ’Toine?’ ”
Despite the resemblance, there is a critical difference between Antoine and Jalen.
“He’s only got one bowling ball,” Brooks Jr. said. “I’ve got two and he’s got one.
“I love my little brother.”
The degree of affection extends to his entire family.
“My mother makes me my favourite barbecue chicken,” Keisha Staples’ 27-year-old son said. “I love chicken. The bird is probably the first thing that I eat.
“My mom basically bakes it and then puts two big ol’ bottles of barbecue sauce on top. It’s all thighs. I only eat thighs. I don’t really eat wings or anything like that.
“Chicken and Hawaiian bread … that’s literally all I eat. That’s what got me like this.”
The 5-foot-11, 215-pounder proceeded to flex his muscles.
In a larger sense, Brooks Jr. has flexed on the football field — especially since becoming a full-time starter last autumn.
He quickly made an impact in a front-line capacity, returning an interception 89 yards for a touchdown against the host Ottawa REDBLACKS on Oct. 3.
Brooks Jr. registered six defensive tackles and his first two CFL sacks on Oct. 17 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Princess Auto Stadium.
Another sack by Brooks Jr. helped the Roughriders defeat B.C. 24-21 in the Western Final.
He added five tackles and one pass deflection in a 25-17 victory over the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup Game, played in Winnipeg.
The Roughriders began defence of their championship on June 13, when Brooks Jr. amassed 13 defensive tackles — the second-highest single-game total in franchise history — with his little brother in the audience to help Saskatchewan beat B.C. 31-27.
Then came last Saturday’s 40-37 overtime victory over the host Calgary Stampeders.
“Our fans were louder than Calgary’s last week,” Brooks Jr. noted, lauding Saskatchewan’s sizeable cheering section at McMahon Stadium.
“That’s Rider football. I’ve learned that we yell louder than other teams. There’s no way we can’t hear y’all, even if we’ve got 20 people out here.
“I try to play for the fans, not just for me. I know I wear my last name on the back of my jersey, but I’ve got ‘SASKATCHEWAN’ on the front, so I always try to represent y’all, because y’all are what we need. Y’all have got penalties for us and we don’t even have to do anything. Quarterbacks say ‘hut-hut’ and they’re jumping offsides (because of the crowd noise) and we’re chillin’.
“I really appreciate everything that Saskatchewan brings. This is my third year here and I’m really excited to see what the future holds — and this season holds. I think it holds a lot of good things.”
Such as a home-field touchdown for No. 5, Antoine Brooks Jr.?
“I want to give the fans a dance,” he said leading up to Friday’s matchup with the Toronto Argonauts at Mosaic Stadium. “Soon, I’m going to get something crackin’ for them. First off, when I get my first pick-six here, I’m doing a backflip, and then I’m going to do my dance. It’s going to be hurried up and then we’re going to be out of here.
“I’ve thought about jumping in the stands, but there’s a fine. I don’t know. I might do it. I saw that Sam (Emilus) tried to beat me to it. I’m going all the way up there this time. I’m going to run up the steps.”
One step on the road to the CFL was time spent with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams.
Selected by Pittsburgh in Round 6 of the 2020 NFL Draft, he suited up for four games as a rookie with the Steelers before joining the Los Angeles Rams the following season.
He appeared in eight games for a 2021 Rams team that won the Super Bowl. (Bowl, for the purposes of this literary exercise, has dual meanings.)
After becoming one of the rare players to own a Super Bowl ring and a Grey Cup ring, Brooks Jr. paid a visit to the home of Joe Haden — a former Steelers teammate and an NFL cornerback for 12 seasons.
“He’s one of my favourites,” Brooks Jr. said. “I personally love him. I can call him to this day.
“I showed him my Grey Cup ring and he said, ‘You got another one.’ I had brought my Super Bowl ring to Joe Haden. He lives in L.A., so I took it to his house so he could see it personally.
“He’s really like my big brother. I’ve got a lot of football brothers who I played with.”
That fraternity includes legends such as former Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald and the team’s current starting quarterback, Matthew Stafford.
“He can throw that no-look pass,” Brooks Jr. marvelled. “I got that thing in practice. He gave it to me. I said, ‘Oh, this is real!’ ”
Impressive, yes, but here’s the key question: Does Matthew Stafford own not one, but two bowling balls?
“Naaaaah,” Brooks Jr. concluded. “He likes to golf.”
The best part, of course, is the green.
