Brother of Super Bowl winner vying for Riders roster spot
Tom Flacco, the youngest of six in a family of athletes, is trying to secure his spot on the Riders roster.
One of his brothers, Joe Flacco, went on to win a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens and holds multiple NFL records, but to Tom, he’s just his oldest brother.
“It’s just all I know and I don’t have any expectations, there’s no shadows. That’s just not really how we think,” said Flacco.
The 26-year-old said his brother doesn’t give him advice on the Xs and Os of the sport, but Joe did advise him on pursuing a football career.
“That’s kind of his message, just trust it,” Flacco said. “Go out there and do what you can, control what you can and it’ll work out, and now I’m here and I have a great opportunity, so he was right.”
Flacco learned the Riders were interested in him after his junior year of college when the team put him on the negotiation list.
Flacco had the opportunity to play baseball professionally out of high school when he was drafted by the MLB’s Philadelphia Phillies, but after grey and redshirting through school playing both sports, he ultimately decided football was for him.
“I wanted to play professional football and they gave me the opportunity,” said Flacco.
He said he’s grateful for the opportunity to play the sport he loves.
Flacco has been showing off his game as he adapts to Canadian rules and eyes a spot on the roster as a quarterback.
Flacco is one of the four quarterbacks looking to be placed in the roster behind Cody Fajardo, and shares similarities with his quarterback brother.
“We are more similar than people think, but we’re obviously different in the sense that I’m a little bit quicker, I’m smaller and I have to do different things than Joe can do,” he said.
Flacco is working towards becoming an official part of the Riders team.
“That’s my goal right now, to be a CFL football player.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.