THE FRENCH CONNECTION
SoCal QB learning more than Redblacks playbook
An American from San Diego has blended right into Canada’s francophone-anglophone mosaic.
Along with finding francophone friendships, Ottawa Redblacks quarterback Ryan Lindley has been playfully given a new name — Steve Vachon.
Lindley, a sixth-round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2012, signed with the Redblacks as a free agent in the off-season. Immersing himself in Canadian culture and fitting in with his francophone teammates has been part of the ride.
“We had this corporate dinner a couple of weeks ago and he introduced himself as Steve Vachon,” said Redblacks defensive back Antoine Pruneau, a Montreal native. “He’s really unique — it’s fun to be around him.”
“I’m an honorary francophone now. I’m Québécois,” Lindley, 28, said with a laugh. “I don’t think it was an intention. I’ve really only been to the West Coast of Canada before. I wasn’t aware of the amount of francophones here — not only in Quebec, but here in Canada.
“My mother was almost bilingual in Spanish, so she pushed me to stay open and learn as much as I can. I figured here I’d just do the same with Quebecers.”
A group of the Redblacks francophone players like to call themselves the French Mafia. They spend plenty of time together and when they do, the backup pivot isn’t far away.
“They’re a fun group,” Lindley said. “Hanging around them, you have to pick up some vocabulary here and there. The accent, that’s the biggest thing. Anybody can learn on Duolingo or Rosetta Stone or something, but being able to hang out with these guys, picking up the French and trying it, knowing when I’m screwing something up, it helps me out.
“I pick up bits and pieces of sentences … I can understand more than I speak. The No. 1 rule is they can talk in French and if I don’t understand, that’s fine, but if they’re making fun of me, that’s over the line. If I don’t understand when I’m getting made fun of, that’s not cool.”
Said fullback Patrick Lavoie: “Every time a guy comes from down south, he says, ‘Hey, I want to learn French.’ But they don’t really want to learn French. They want to learn some words they can use for trash talk on the field or for lines they can use with girls. (Lindley) came up here and said he wanted to learn everything — he wants to know how to spell it and everything.
“He came to Pruneau’s place and we were all French except for him. He sat there and listened. He stopped us and asked questions. I’d never seen that in this league.”
The Canadian experience has been great so far for Lindley, who has two rushing touchdowns as a Redblack.
“I’ve loved it. It’s quite refreshing,” he said. “We were in Toronto, we went out to dinner and walked around — it’s a lot like a New York City, it’s tough to pick up character and vibe. I got to visit Montreal. It just felt like it was so rich in history. That’s refreshing coming from visiting places in America where everybody’s head is down, 100 miles an hour, doing whatever they need to do — not worried about anybody else. Montreal was a very friendly place, I’ve found that here, too, in Ottawa.”
Lindley loves the culture that exists around the team and has become a pitch man for the league.
“I’ve talked to multiple guys I used to play with that have thought about coming up here and I’ve pushed them super hard,” Lindley said. “A lot of the culture, especially in this locker-room, brings things back to really the humble beginnings of why we play football. It’s a fraternity. It’s a brotherhood.”
They can talk in French and if I don’t understand, that’s fine, but if they’re making fun of me, that’s over the line. If I don’t understand when I’m getting made fun of, that’s not cool.