TMI: Who is Ed Gainey’s best friend on the Riders?

Who is Ed Gainey’s best friend on the Riders? I’ll give you a few hints.

He also plays on defence. He’s really tall. And he wears number seven. Think you can guess?

What’s on Gainey’s pre-game playlist and if he wasn’t a football player, what would he be doing?

The secret to the defensive back picking off quarterbacks 10 times last season could be found in his pre-game routine.

Find out all of this and much more about 2017’s interception leader, Ed Gainey, in this edition of TMI!

Kristina Costabile: Tell me something that fans might not know about you.

Ed Gainey: During my free time I like to sing. I like to record myself singing and listen to my voice when I’m in a happy mood. I’m shy though. I’m just an amateur.

KC: What kind of songs do you like to sing?

EG: R&B, all day.

KC: What kind of music do you like to listen to?

EG: I like really anything that’s new. That’s catchy and that I can relate to.

KC: What’s on your pre-game playlist?

EG: It’s all rap, hip hop. I like Kendrick Lamar. I just like to listen to rappers who are trying to give you a positive message. But before the game I’m probably listening to all of the hype stuff. Turn up a little bit.

KC: Do you have any pre-game superstitions or routines?

EG: If it’s an early game, I just like to get up and get a good breakfast in. Try to at least get a nap in before every game. If it’s a late game it’s pretty much the same thing. Breakfast, have a nice little lunch and then take a nap and then get ready to go. I just like to try to stay as relaxed as possible and try to treat it as a normal day.

KC: If you weren’t a football player, what would you be doing?

EG: I’d be out here trying to start my own business. Be an entrepreneur, I guess. And try and give back to the community, probably. Probably my friends who are closest to me, try to get everybody on board, try to get some money going for everybody and try to make life easier. It’s hard out here.

KC: What’s your favourite football memory?

EG: That’s a good one. Honestly, I’ll just say my first year coming in Canada and just being in Sherbrooke and Montreal and training camp. Every morning just waking up and seeing the backdrop from the practice field, breathing in the Canadian air and just taking it all in like, ‘I’m in another country, I have an opportunity to play football.’ It was just one of the times that was engrained in my head that I never wanted to go back home. Ever since then I’ve been here playing and it’s been good for me.

KC: If you could be stranded on a deserted island with any one of your teammates, who would it be and why?

EG: Oh, Willie Jefferson, all day! That’s my dog! We just go back. I’ve been roommates with him since I’ve been on the team and we just click. He’s a cool guy, I’m cool, we’re both kind of laid back. It’s just a pretty good relationship and he’s probably one of my best friends on the team.

KC: If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?

EG: I would want to be able to fly.