Every game, don’t miss Barney Shynkaruk’s Behind the Facemask — a closer look at your favourite Saskatchewan Roughriders.
This week: Two-time Grey Cup champion Jonathan Edouard.
Barney Shynkaruk:
All right, Behind the Facemask this week with Jonathan Edouard, a two-time Grey Cup champion.
People know you’re from Orlando, so let’s start there.
What’s your favourite theme park in the area?
Jonathan Edouard:
Universal.
Barney:
Why?
Jonathan:
I worked there. I rode all the rides. I love it.
Take me back to Universal.
Barney:
So maybe down the road, is that your retirement gig?
Jonathan:
Oh no. I just love Universal.
I love riding the rides. I wouldn't work there again.
Barney:
Let’s go back to your high school days, and maybe even before that.
What are your first memories of playing football?
Jonathan:
I played Pop Warner.
My first memory is running out of my shoes to score touchdowns.
I was a running back and played defensive end, so I had some sacks too.
Barney:
What did you play in high school?
Jonathan:
In high school, I played receiver and defensive back.
Barney:
Were you a better defensive back or receiver back then?
Jonathan:
I was a better DB.
You know the joke — they say you can't catch, so they put you on the defensive side.
Barney:
Your coaches are in the back here.
You come from a big family. Eight siblings?
Jonathan:
Eight siblings, yeah.
Barney:
Are they all athletic? Take us through the family.
Jonathan:
They actually are.
There are five boys, and all four of my brothers played football.
My oldest brother played football at Bishop Moore. My second-oldest brother also played, and they both went to Charleston Southern University to play football.
My third-oldest brother went to Beloit College.
And then my youngest brother was a high school star from about 13 to 15, but he actually didn't want to play after high school.
Barney:
What about the ladies? What about your sisters?
Jonathan:
My sisters were involved in track for a little bit, but they didn't have as much grit for the game as we did, I'd say.
Barney:
Let's talk about your journey to Canada.
You played college football in the States, and I know you've told us this story before, but take me through it.
Was it a chance to maybe play in the CFL that brought you to Carleton?
Jonathan:
Yes, hands down. One hundred percent.
It was a chance that I didn't know could eventually allow me to become a Canadian national, but I did want to catch the CFL's eye.
While I was at Henderson State, I started to get a little bit better. I started training with Ryan Clark, and I really wanted to pursue the NFL.
I told my coach about it, and he said, "We're at a Division II school. You may want to pursue somewhere else."
Ryan Clark talked about possibly getting me into LSU, and I had opportunities to walk on at a couple of other schools too.
But Don Jarrett told me about U SPORTS and Canadian university football.
The day I met Steve Samara was the day I made up my mind that this was the best decision for me.
Barney:
You get to Ottawa, you get to Carleton, and then you have a border issue.
Take me through that.
Jonathan:
I had no idea what I was doing.
I thought the North American Free Trade Agreement was still a thing and that I just needed my birth certificate and ID, get my passport, and I'd be good to go.
I thought, "I'm a student. I'm going to get another degree and play football."
But it was a much bigger process than that.
I needed a visa.
Carleton sent me my visa information, but I had no clue where it was or how to access it.
So when I showed up at the border, the agent could tell I had no idea what I was doing.
I told him I was excited to come to Canada, get another degree and play football.
He basically said, "You don't know what you're doing."
He gave me a one-year visa instead of a four-year visa.
I ended up being in the country for 18 months when I was only supposed to be there for 12.
So I was six months past my visa date, and they actually gave me a letter of departure.
Barney:
So were you just kind of in limbo for a year?
Jonathan:
Yes.
I think adversity makes people a lot stronger.
It was one of those turning points in my life where I had to ask myself, "Do I give up, or is that not who I am?"
During the season, I had to get a new passport, and I ended up having to go to my brother's house in Milwaukee because that was the closest place.
Barney:
Do you get the heebie-jeebies when you're at the border even to this day?
Jonathan:
They know me now.
They know me specifically, and they're always like, "Ah, we love you, man."
I appreciate them.
Barney:
Your parents are from Haiti?
Jonathan:
Yes.
Barney:
They must have some wild stories.
Jonathan:
Oh, definitely.
Barney:
Is there one that stands out?
Jonathan:
I'd say the one that stands out to me the most is how hard my dad worked to come to America.
My mom took all the tests she needed to take to come to America.
They knew each other in Haiti, but they met each other again in America.
It's one of those stories where I'm always thankful that they had us.
Barney:
What did Mom and Dad do?
Because eight kids aren't cheap.
Jonathan:
My dad was a taxi driver for the first 13 years of my life.
There were lots of theme parks and lots of businesses around us.
My mom started going to school at Seminole State and eventually became a nurse.
Now she's an RN.
Barney:
What's your favourite NFL team?
Jonathan:
They didn't pick me, so I don't have one.
Barney:
You don't have one?
Who was the player you looked up to and tried to emulate?
Jonathan:
There are three of them.
Ryan Clark, Ed Reed and Sean Taylor.
Barney:
Really?
Jonathan:
Yeah.
And Ryan Clark is a great friend of mine.
Barney:
When's the last time you ran a 40-yard dash, and what was the time?
Jonathan:
The last time I ran a 40 was in 2025, around February, with Justin Walker.
I ran a 4.27.
I ran it seven times, though.
My fastest was a 4.27, and my slowest was a 4.32.
Barney:
If we had a time machine and you could go back to any point in your career, when do you think you could run your fastest 40?
How old were you?
Jonathan:
Honestly, 27 to now.
I'm going 27 to now.
I don't know too many people faster than me in life.
Barney:
All right, there we go.
Jonathan Edouard, thank you so much for doing this.
That was a lot of fun.
Jonathan:
Appreciate you guys.
