Inside the CFL: Alouettes’ Nate Behar committed to succeed off field

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Alouettes receiver Nate Behar was nine years old the first time he was called the N-word.

That the racially-motivated incident occurred in London, Ont., while he was playing minor league tyke football — on the field, his place of salvation, or so he believed — was Behar’s first exposure to a world that would both shape and mold his outspoken and candid personality, one that has generated some conflicts with other CFL organizations, but one from which Behar offers no apologies.

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“The shocking part was knowing what (the word) was and having it hurled against you,” Behar told The Gazette this week over two interviews. “There was anger and shock. This was something new. You know what the word means. You know of it. The hard part for me, as a kid, was that was the fun place, football. You run around with our friends.

“It was a double-edged sword. That was my first fully racial moment of real meanness and crudeness. The first time it’s directed at you is different. It’s hard. You don’t have a million-and-one conscious thoughts at that age, other than anger and being upset. You’re confused and wonder why.”

The son of an Israeli mother and Jamaican father, Behar was taught early to express himself. To reach for the stars and think outside the box. He was told to constantly challenge his mind, to explore and discover, to never remain stagnant and constant. If Behar’s mind works quickly, his words emanate faster. He laughs easily and is at peace with his life.

Behar gets his boldness from his mother, Mya Behar, whom he refers to as the quirky combination of being a “goddess, ball of fire and bad-ass.” She went back to school well after raising her two sons to become a nurse.

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The 29-year-old receiver’s creative side comes from his father, Raymond Walker, a jack-of-all-trades who has been a music producer and entrepreneur in Toronto. After attending a performing arts school, the future CFL player went to Ottawa’s Carleton University, majoring in communications.

“I think I’m just somebody who likes to learn stuff,” said Behar, signed by the Als last weekend following the loss of Canadian receiver Kaion Julien-Grant to injury. “New things on the table are exciting and my brain likes to move a lot. I don’t like to sit still. That usually has gotten me into trouble. It’s also gotten me into some fun stuff on and off the field.

“I’m just me.”

In 2020 following the death of George Floyd, an African-American man murdered that May by a white police officer in Minneapolis during an arrest, and in honour of the Black Lives Matter movement, Behar wrote a powerful essay on race and understanding, distributed on the CFL’s website. Behar looked at ways to “confront white supremacy, cultivate understanding and drive change,” based on his experiences.

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“It was a very heavy moment and time that not many people will forget,” said Behar, choosing his words carefully. “It was one of those things that pulled a lot of eyes towards the issue. For a lot of people it was the apex of a long conversation or issue that has been going on for a while. My biggest shock was the attention it gathered. I’m not sure what was so fantastically eye-catching for that, as opposed to what has happened to a lot of other unarmed Black people in the U.S.”

After being drafted in the first-round (fifth overall) by Edmonton in 2017, but being involved in a contract dispute with former general manager Brock Sunderland, Behar, who attended the New York Giants’ rookie mini-camp, referred to himself as a “slave” on social media. While he quickly deleted the post, Behar and his agent realized they had limited bargaining power despite his high draft status. Told to accept the offer or return to university, Behar eventually signed, three weeks after the start of training camp. But even today, knowing this was his first exposure to the business side of pro football, Behar said he felt trapped.

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Following four seasons in Ottawa, where he signed as a free agent, Behar was released last February — ironically after receiving a $30,000 guaranteed bonus payment. Again he believed it was his outspokenness that landed him in hot water; Behar suggesting he’s not shy to voice his feelings with management during post-season exit meetings.

Football needs the refreshing Behar more than he needs the game, and he’ll have little difficulty adjusting to retirement from the CFL. Behar is a strategist and senior account executive at an Ottawa-based growth marketing firm. He and his girlfriend, Erin Harris, also operate a company that offers fitness, wellness and social retreats to groups at exotic locations, seeking to tone their minds and bodies during the day but have fun once the sun sets.

If Behar’s football career hasn’t played out as he desired — one playoff appearance in six seasons while generally producing pedestrian statistics — this renaissance man is comfortable in his own skin, happy to be provided with one final kick at the can with the defending Grey Cup champions.

“Life is really good,” Behar said.

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

twitter.com/HerbZurkowsky1

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