Redblacks sign a player who sacked Brady a couple of times
To Stefan Charles, it still seems surreal when he thinks about it — his first NFL sack came when he knocked seven-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady to the ground in Week 17 of the 2013 season.
A year later, he sacked Brady again. Incredible memories for Charles, who Tuesday signed to play for the Ottawa Redblacks, as part of his improbable four-year NFL career (2013-16). With hard work and a never-quit attitude, he beat the incredible odds stacked against him.
Charles started his NFL days in Tennessee, then moved to Buffalo, where he played for the Bills from 2013 to 2015. In 37 games there, he had 45 tackles (26 solo) and five sacks. After playing for Detroit in 2016, then having training-camp looks in 2017 (Jacksonville), 2018 (Kansas City) and 2019 (Atlanta), he came to the CFL in 2019, joining the Edmonton Football Team late in the season.
And now the 32-year-old is joining what should be a very good Redblacks defensive line, which includes one of Charles's good friends, Cleyon Laing.
“I'm glad to be here,” said Charles over the phone Wednesday. “The team showed me a commitment; the organization is A1.”
The story of Charles, 6-foot-5, 320 pounds, is remarkable. Nothing was handed to him. He didn't have a scholarship. He worked jobs at a tire factory and as a janitor to keep his football hopes alive.
“That I could get to the NFL seemed super far-fetched,” said Charles. “You're going to meet a lot of people who tell you the dream is not attainable, they give you reasons why it shouldn't be your dream. But even when the door is shut in your face, you can keep believing and keep fighting for it. I'm not taking anything away from any Canadian in the NFL, but a lot of them went to American schools and got scholarships — all that hunky-dory stuff. I literally came through the back door. I didn't get any push. Even when it came time to get a push, I was getting pushed in the other direction.”
He grew up in Scarborough, but didn't play high school football until he got to Eastdale Collegiate in Oshawa when he was 17. From there, with no offers to play college football in Canada or the U.S., he went west to play junior ball in Surrey, B.C. From there, he found his way as a walk-on to the University of Regina, where he was an all-Canadian in 2011.
Ranked as the Central Scouting Bureau's No. 1 at times heading into the CFL draft, he sandwiched the CFL combine with a couple of NFL combines. He made an impression and was signed by Tennessee. Buffalo would snatch him off the Titans practice roster.
“It was definitely testing at times,” said Charles. “But I'm glad I did it my way. If there's any kid coming from the situation I did, there's definitely some truth if you put your mind to it, you can do anything you want. ”
There were some real-life issues when he was younger. His older brother Brent was shot three times and survived.
“I wouldn't say the neighbourhood was a bad area,” said Charles. “But it definitely matured me quicker than the average kid. It built character and gave me a vision of where and what I wanted to be.”
Family means a lot to Charles. His mom Thelma is retired in Whitby. And he's close to his brother, married with three kids. When negative thoughts cloud his mind, Charles thinks about those around him who have always been that shoulder to lean on.
“I've done the impossible in the sense that it's so hard to get to the NFL,” said Charles. “You have a better chance of getting struck by lightning than getting to the NFL and staying in the NFL. So a kid from Scarborough, who had no scholarship — not even in his own country — for me to be on an NFL team and actually play with stats and stuff, I'm grateful for that . ...
“I'm more than anxious to get to Ottawa now; it's exciting.”