Die-hard Bachelor fanatic. Not proud of it. Apparently a very good singer.
When he’s not busy nabbing over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and scoring a whole bunch of TDs, Argos RB Brandon Whitaker is a pretty funny guy.
Get to know #3 a little better in our latest 21 Questions!
People say you look like…?
“I’ve gotten Derek Fischer and I actually get Jamir Nelson a lot.”
Who’s your bestie on the team?
“My bestie? …I feel like I’m being setup here… You know what? I’m going have to go with Ricky Ray because he controls whether I get the ball or not.”
Speaking of Ricky, we hear he’s actually really funny. Can you comfirm or deny this?
“I can definitely confirm that. He is hilarious! He’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. It’s dry humour. Very witty. I’ve heard he’s quite the prankster”
Who’s the worst dancer on the team?
“Worst dancer? I’m going to have to go with Ricky Foley.”
He once told us that he was the best dancer…
“Haha! Well that’s exactly why I said that. I know he’s the kind of guy to claim he’s the best.”
Who is the worst singer?
“I’m going to have to go with [Henry] Josey. He’s the worst one.”
You realize that we’ll be asking the guys these same questions about you, right?
“I’m prepared…”
You’re the GM for a day. What’s the first thing you do?
“I cancel practice during Training Camp and take everyone out to eat at The Keg. It’s one of my favourite places to eat. Always get the 20oz sirloin. Chicago style. Also always have to go with the Billy Miner Pie.”
On that topic, what’s your favourite cheat meal?
“Until I came to Toronto it was this little pizza place across the street from me in Montreal, but now it’s a burger from Burger’s Priest and then I’ll go to Joey’s and get their baked apple pie.”
So, everyone has irrational fears. What’s your biggest one?
“Spiders! Don’t even come near me with those. Doesn’t matter if it’s a little baby daddy long legs. If there’s one in the house, I don’t deal with them. I let my wife handle that. I can do everything else but that!”
What’s your go-to movie that you can watch over and over again?
“Probably Friday. I can watch that forever. I’m pretty sure I’ve watched it 100,000 times in my life.”
What’s your pre-game playlist like?
“I actually listen to gospel music before a game. Marvin Sapp and Kirk Franklin. I tend to get a little too hype before a game so I need to mellow myself out a little but so I don’t tire myself out. You almost get too excited and you’ll be out of breath at warm up. Haha! The gospel music helps me focus.”
Who is the hardest to go against in practice?
“Cory Greenwood for me. We have our battles in practice and he’s just a really good football player. We get some good competition during the season and he keeps me on my toes.”
Do you have any hidden talents that we don’t know about?
“I can sing quite well actually.”
Bryan Hall says he’s also quite the singer as well. You know we’re going to have to have some sort of sing-off, right?
“…I’d be ok with that.”
Do you have any guilty pleasure TV shows?
“I can’t miss The Bachelor. I’m actually embarrassed about it. It’s terrible. My wife and I put aside time and we sit down and watch it together. It’s so ridiculous but I can’t get enough of it. I never believe that they’re actually in love though.
“It’s always the same story: there’s always the kind-of-crazy person that sticks on the show until like the very end and the one who’s so madly in love after two weeks. I’m hooked.”
Who’s the loudest in the locker room?
“Brandon Isaac. He’s really loud. It’s all good stuff though. Very get-you-pumped kind of stuff.”
Who’s your biggest rival in the league.
“It’s become[Winston] Venable from Montreal now. He’s my biggest rival. He got me last year a few times so I owe him big!”
What’s your favourite thing about playing in Toronto?
Of course I’m excited about the new field! But this city is great. It’s a great environment. Toronto is chill. Everyone seems so relaxed. There’s a lot of parks and great places to take long walks; the lake is not far.
What are your thoughts on playing at BMO this season?
I’m so excited! It’s so intimate. The one thing I love most about it is the grass field. That’s how we all grew up playing the game. Our new owners are going to bring game to a level where you’re so excited to go and have a good time!
Playing for a home Grey Cup: on the scale of awesomeness, where does that stand?
“I’m like a kid in a candy store right now! This off season with training has been amazing. I’ve been able to train this whole offseason. This is the opportunity of a life time and you usually only get one. It’s something I think about every day when I go to the gym!”