When a Montreal Carabin and a Laval Rouge et Or football alumni walked into the same restaurant at the airport before boarding for the west coast, they were destined to become roommates at BC Lions training camp before they even knew it.
31-year-old CFL veteran David Menard returns to the Lions after spending the last season with the Montreal Alouettes and he’s also joined by Mathieu Betts, the 27-year-old Laval alumni who suited up for the Edmonton Elks in 2019 and 2021.
“We left from the same plane in Montreal. I was sitting at a restaurant. He sat right next to me without even noticing,” recalled Betts.
“I was going to the gate. It was a bit early, so I sat at the bar of the restaurant. I sat down, ‘Oh hey, what’s up?’” Menard added.
A coincidental encounter led to sharing a room in Kamloops and now the two defensive ends are interchangeable in the Lions’ trenches.
Menard and Betts aren’t the only French-speaking players on the Lions squad. With quarterback Michael O’Connor and defensive back, Jamie Harry from the Ottawa area, they’re joined by 2022 Canadian draft picks Joshua Archibald and Frednick Eveillard, who are also fluent in French, which makes it easy to make each other feel like they’re home.
“I mean, it’s kind of typical that French guys hang out together. It’s kind of true. Most of the time, it’s not like we’re going to be best friends just because we speak French, but we get along so it’s cool,” Menard said.
Menard, the Chicoutimi, Quebec native, was drafted by the club in 2014 and would spend six straight seasons with the Lions before joining the Alouettes. As he gears up for his second stint with the club, he and fellow defensive end Betts have developed a unique relationship.
Mathieu Betts going up against teammate, Jarell Broxton at the 2022 BC Lions training camp in Kamloops, B.C.
Although the Carabin and the Rouge et Or alumni have never faced each other in university football, the rivalry between the two schools remains a longstanding feud.
Menard laughs, “That’s going to be Laval’s downfall this year, their O-Line is trash. I watched a lot of tapes from last year. Honestly, Betts, you need to watch some tape because Laval’s O-Line was terrible.”
Betts quickly jabbed back saying Rouge et Or are the superior team by focusing on the bigger picture and winning it all.
“He can focus on last year all he wants. I know the University of Montreal takes it seriously when it comes to winning the conference. Us, we focus on getting out of the conference and winning the Vanier Cup,” Betts said.
“It’s not something they’re used to other contenders. So it’s hard for them to see the bigger picture. Laval, we are just working on ourselves, we try not to worry too much about them. I enjoyed playing against the University of Montreal. I always had good games against them,” Betts added.
Menard laughs and then later expressed the mutual respect the two schools have for each other, as he and Betts are two of the outstanding alumni to still be playing in the CFL.
Both edge rushers’ work ethics have earned themselves a key role on the Lions’ defensive line. The two recalled the time when Betts was still in Cégep du Vieux Montreal, playing for Denis Touchette, who also coached Menard at the University of Montreal.
Touchette called Menard over when he was training by himself while Betts and his cégep team had just finished their practice.
“It was just Denis being Denis. He said, ‘You! Come here. See this guy? He gets things done. Be like him. Okay, you can go now,’” Menard recalled.
It was one of Betts’ first encounters with Menard until they lined up against each other on special teams last season.
The pair of rushers enjoyed a great training camp together with the rest of the defensive line unit that is filled with characters and different personalities.
“I thought it was a great camp. It was my best training camp while being almost 32 and in my eighth season. We got a great team they guys are nice all the guys get along together. I just can’t wait to win some games together,” Menard said.
David Menard during a 1-on-1 drill at the 2022 BC Lions Training Camp.
The French-Canadian rushers are accompanied by last year’s trio of Obum Gwacham, Tim Bonner and Josh Banks, plus many more newcomers for the 2022 Lions team.
“Who’s Tim Bonner? What number is he?” Betts jokingly said.
The defensive line is guided by John Bowman, the Montreal Alouettes’ all-time sacks leader. Although the two defensive linemen said the entire unit has a huge ambition to rack up individual numbers, there’s still a strong sense of playing for each other — even when it comes to sharing playing time.
“I feel like the best thing for both of us and the team is to play well for each other and contribute to the defence. The more success both of us have at the end of the day, the best will happen for the Lions,” Betts said.
“We’ll split time. The whole point is for us to be fresh to go and help the team as much as possible. I want him to succeed, and he wants me to succeed.”
Both Menard and Betts saw some pre-season action last Friday night against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Menard felt some nostalgia about returning to BC Place and Betts aims to start his 2022 season strong going head-to-head against his former team, Edmonton Elks. Now the tag team edge rushers are ready to roll for real.
“We all want to make plays. We don’t see anyone being selfish or a caner. I just see us working as a group towards winning games,” Menard said.