TMI: Jamaal Westerman, the creature of habit

The newest addition to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Jamaal Westerman, is a creature of habit. The 33-year-old has to follow his pre-game routine exactly before every game. The perfect breakfast, the right arrival time at the stadium. Everything needs to be perfect before he can hit the field.

He also decided that he wouldn’t want to be stranded on a deserted island with his brother, Jabar, who plays for the Montreal Alouettes, because it would make his mom too sad to have both of her kids gone (AW!).

One of his favourite football memories was during his NFL days, in the playoffs going head-to-head with Tom Brady. Talk about a surreal moment.

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

Find out in this edition of TMI!

Kristina Costabile: Tell me something fans wouldn’t know about you.

Jamaal Westerman: I love comedy clubs. I love calling games, broadcasting, being in front of the camera or behind the camera. I really enjoy that stuff. I love going to comedy clubs, hearing some jokes and having a good time.

KC: Is that something you’d think about doing after football?

JW: I’d definitely enjoy broadcasting. When I was in college I called our football games for the radio show. I called high school games. I’ve hosted pro days and signing days at my university. I did internships at NBC and I’ve definitely enjoyed it.

KC: You’ve definitely got a lot of experience then to transition after you’re done playing.

JW: It’s difficult when you’re playing because you don’t have time during the season to talk about football but whenever I get a chance after the season I do a lot of CBS New York 2, a lot of Jets, because I used to play for the Jets, so I do a lot of stuff with them. Hopefully they’ll make it to the playoffs this year so I can get a little bit more in after this season (in the CFL).

KC: What’s on your pre-game playlist?

JW: Oh! Pre-game playlist right now.. I’ve got some Jay Rock. It’s pretty good. Some J Cole. Drake’s always sprinkled in there. And every now and then, you’ve got to take it back to some Trick Daddy, Rick Ross.

KC: If you could be stranded on a deserted island with any teammate you’ve ever played with in the CFL, who would it be and why?

JW: I would say my brother (Jabar Westerman) but he’s a vegan so we’re not going to be eating any food! It’s going to be all, ‘here’s some berries.’ So maybe not my brother. I also would want my mom to be like, ‘two of my sons are gone.’ So maybe it would be Jake Thomas. We played together in Winnipeg. He’s a really good friend of mine. He would be fun to be on a deserted island with. He’s not that fast so if anything is chasing us, I’ll probably get away.

KC: If you could have a dinner party with anyone living or dead, who would they be and why?

JW: That’s a good one.. I would go with Barack Obama. It’s a fun dinner party, right? You don’t have to be so serious, right? So Obama. Give me Rihanna. She’ll bring the fun and the music. Then you need one to bring a little bit more of the history. Give me Malcolm X. It’s a good mix of people, different eras.

KC: What is your favourite football memory?

JW: One of my favourite football memories was in 2006. We were ranked pretty high. We had a big game against Louisville. We ended up beating them late in the game. The fans stormed the field, I was under the pile. I was gasping for air because all the fans were jumping on me. I came out from under the pile it’s pandemonium. That was a great one. I think the second one may have been when I was with the Jets and we played the Patriots in the second round of the playoffs. They had beat us the last time they had played us pretty badly. We ended up coming out of that game, I made a pretty big play on special teams, big tackle on kickoff and we ended up beating them in the playoffs and that was a big win. I was playing against Tom Brady and to beat them at home, that was a big one back in 2010. That set up the AFC Championship game and we didn’t win it though but that’s the excitement and everything that goes along with playoff football. You guys know it here in the Hammer (about playoffs). Everything goes along with it, it’s always great. Especially if you get a win against your rival in their place. That was nuts.

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

JW: I’m a routine guy. I try to have a big breakfast, six eggs, maybe an omelette. A super smoothie with every vegetable and fruit I can lay my hands on, throw it in the blender. A big bowl of oatmeal. I like to get to the game by three, three and a half hours early to go through my routine. Stretching, warming up, rolling out. Kind of preparing to get into that mindset that you’re about to go to battle and we have a big game in front of us.

KC: Are you binge watching anything on Netflix?

JW: I just finished Last Chance U. Actually, I have half an episode left. I was locked out of my air B&B last night. The door broke, or something happened (so I couldn’t get in). I was supposed to watch the last 30 minutes of the episode so I want to find out where all the kids ended up going. Hopefully today everything is fixed so I can get my last 30 minutes in and see where all those kids ended up.