Saskatchewan Roughriders' defensive back Antoine Brooks Jr. knows his family is a very important part of his life.
"Honestly, I keep playing because of my family. I got a new sister -- I love her to death -- she's 33, I just met her," Brooks Jr. said. "My life is a movie. I'm embracing everything and that's probably why I keep going. My sister is watching now, I got a new sister that I get to watch, I get to show her what's up."
There was a scary injury moment in Brooks Jr.'s career which made him question whether he should continue playing football.
"I was about 15 or 16, I broke my right wrist and my right ankle at the same time and had a compound fracture on the ankle. I got a wrong ride on my outside ankle and inside the bone came out. It was pretty devastating, I had blood all over my cleat,” Brooks Jr. recalled. “I still got the cleat. My wrist was up a little bit, it was broken -- I'm a little messed up. Right then and there, I knew I'm always getting hurt from freak accidents."
Brooks Jr. reflected on how fortunate he was with that injury rehab process.
"My doctor that did the surgery, she actually said she can get me out in six months, I didn't believe her until I was in my third month and I was halfway. Then she had to go, it was the last surgery for her. She was the number six doctor in the U.S.A. and before she left, we caught her. She said she would have the surgery, that's all thanks to God, I'm grateful that it happened. I met the Baltimore Ravens staff at the time, they all came to see me. I had a lot of love when I got hurt, it helped me out. That's what actually brought me back: the love from home. A lot of people don't want to see you waste your football time."
Brooks Jr. went into detail about why he still has the same cleat from that injury when he was younger.
"The cleat was memorable. Honestly, it's one of those times where you see something and you overcome something -- it's adversity," Brooks Jr. said. "I feel that every time I see it and realize: 'You overcame something that nobody really could.' I still ended up making it to the NFL, playing [NCAA] Division I college football and so on. It was all a blessing, that's why I keep it. Actually, I bought the cleat a week before I got hurt, it was a brand-new cleat -- I'm not wasting it."
Last year, Brooks Jr. suited up in one game for the Riders and mostly spent time on the practice squad. This season, he has played one game and recorded one special teams tackle and one interception.
"I love my teammates, I make sure I'm brighter than the room because if I'm having a dark day, I know they're going to be dark," Brooks Jr. said. "I make sure I'm always happy when I see them -- I know if I'm happy, they're happy. I'm on the practice squad, I'm embracing it, so they got to embrace their job even more."
Green and White bench boss Corey Mace has not been surprised by how consistently Brooks Jr. performs every day.
"He's got an infectious personality, everybody loves him -- he's constantly smiling. When you match that with his work ethic, what he shows out here on the field, even back to when he was on the PR, he's given us excellent looks. He had a hell of a camp, I think he led the team in interceptions," Mace said.
"Certainly, it only took him a couple plays to get one in the game. He's a dangerous player, no doubt, and he had a hell of a game on special teams. He has proven to be a good player, a really good one in college and at the pro level. You're not shocked with the result because you see it every day."
Saskatchewan hosts the Calgary Stampeders on Friday. Be sure to catch the pre-game show with Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk, and Wes Cates at 4 p.m. Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder have the game call at 7 p.m. You can hear and watch all the extensive coverage on the 620 CKRM Co-operators Rider Broadcast Network.
