Although Antoine Brooks Jr. is an esteemed alumnus of the University of Maryland, he would have been a natural for Bowling Green.<\/p>\n
Brooks Jr., the starting strong-side linebacker for the green-clad Saskatchewan Roughriders, loves bowling.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got two bowling balls on my own,\u201d the always-jocular Brooks Jr. noted. \u201cNot a lot of people have got their own bowling ball. I\u2019ve got two of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
This revelation was part of an interview that was initially intended as a basic player profile \u2014 likes, dislikes, favourite food, favourite movie, hobbies, etc.<\/p>\n
Those boxes were checked, to be certain, during a lighthearted conversation that was, well, right up his alley.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy other sports?\u201d he continued. \u201cBasketball, bowling \u2026 shoot, I do a little tennis, too. I\u2019m not going to lie. I got into tennis at 14.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh? I suppose he has his own tennis balls, too!<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got two racquets and 18 tennis balls,\u201d Brooks Jr. replied. \u201cThat\u2019s what I do, man.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny other time, I\u2019m very family-oriented. I\u2019ve got to stay active so, if I\u2019m not active, I\u2019m with my family and chilling with them.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe looks like me. He\u2019s just a bony version of me, so when everybody sees him, they\u2019ve got to double-look and go, \u2018Is that \u2019Toine?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the resemblance, there is a critical difference between Antoine and Jalen.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s only got one bowling ball,\u201d Brooks Jr. said. \u201cI\u2019ve got two and he\u2019s got one.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love my little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
The degree of affection extends to his entire family.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother makes me my favourite barbecue chicken,\u201d Keisha Staples\u2019 27-year-old son said. \u201cI love chicken. The bird is probably the first thing that I eat.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom basically bakes it and then puts two big ol\u2019 bottles of barbecue sauce on top. It\u2019s all thighs. I only eat thighs. I don\u2019t really eat wings or anything like that.<\/p>\n
\u201cChicken and Hawaiian bread \u2026 that\u2019s literally all I eat. That\u2019s what got me like this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 5-foot-11, 215-pounder proceeded to flex his muscles.<\/p>\n
In a larger sense, Brooks Jr. has flexed on the football field \u2014 especially since becoming a full-time starter last autumn.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Brooks Jr. registered six defensive tackles and his first two CFL sacks on Oct. 17 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Princess Auto Stadium.<\/p>\n
Another sack by Brooks Jr. helped the Roughriders defeat B.C. 24-21 in the Western Final.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The Roughriders began defence of their championship on June 13, when Brooks Jr. amassed 13 defensive tackles \u2014 the second-highest single-game total in franchise history \u2014 with his little brother in the audience to help Saskatchewan beat B.C. 31-27.<\/p>\n
Then came last Saturday\u2019s 40-37 overtime victory over the host Calgary Stampeders.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur fans were louder than Calgary\u2019s last week,\u201d Brooks Jr. noted, lauding Saskatchewan\u2019s sizeable cheering section at McMahon Stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s Rider football. I\u2019ve learned that we yell louder than other teams. There\u2019s no way we can\u2019t hear y\u2019all, even if we\u2019ve got 20 people out here.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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\u2019ve got \u2018SASKATCHEWAN\u2019 on the front, so I always try to represent y\u2019all, because y\u2019all are what we need. Y\u2019all have got penalties for us and we don\u2019t even have to do anything. Quarterbacks say \u2018hut-hut\u2019 and they\u2019re jumping offsides (because of the crowd noise) and we\u2019re chillin\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really appreciate everything that Saskatchewan brings. This is my third year here and I\u2019m really excited to see what the future holds \u2014 and this season holds. I think it holds a lot of good things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Such as a home-field touchdown for No. 5, Antoine Brooks Jr.?<\/p>\n