‘Everybody has a right to live a life free from violence’: How David Brown is helping women, children in his hometown

Like most football players, Alouettes offensive lineman David Brown has felt pain and he’s dealt with adversity. The former Western Mustang tore the ACL in his left knee during the 2017 Vanier Cup game against the University of Laval. That injury put his playing future in jeopardy.

As difficult as it was to come back from major knee surgery, the 27-year-old found a way. After a failed stint with the Calgary Stampeders and the cancellation of the 2020 CFL season, he took a security job with the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. It was at that time that he had to seriously contemplate life after football.

Brown wasn’t fully healthy during his short time with the Stamps. He didn’t get much of an opportunity to prove himself, and when he did, the meniscus in his surgically repaired knee didn’t cooperate.

Once Calgary decided to move on, he struggled to latch on with another team. Because Brown is a dual citizen (his dad lives in Connecticut), he was able to fill in for a Spring League in 2021. There was a need for a left tackle, and Brown decided to give it a shot.

“I went down (to the Spring League), got the spot for the game. I played one game. And the next day Montreal gave me a contract, after one game,” Brown said from his home in London, Ontario. “Then I just kind of rode that momentum and had a pretty good season (in Montreal) last year. It’s been a pretty big rollercoaster for sure.”

Brown played 10 games with Montreal in 2021 including three starts at center for the injured Sean Jamieson. He suffered a dislocated elbow and missed the final month of the season, but he was able to return for the East Division Semi-Final in Hamilton.

In December, general manager Danny Maciocia rewarded him with a new two-year contract extension.

“Thankfully, things have worked out in Montreal,” he said. “I love the organization so much. I can’t be more grateful for the opportunity I’ve been provided here in Montreal.”

A Helping Hand

Brown enjoys battling in the trenches on the football field, but he’s completely different away from the game.

He’s already been accepted to Teacher’s College, but he’s putting that on hold until his playing days are over. During the offseason, he serves as a substitute teacher for the Catholic School Board in London.

Since the start of the pandemic, the school board has been short-staffed, so Brown has been able to work almost every day at many different schools.

“I was accepted into Teacher’s College before I signed with the Alouettes, so that is something I want to do in the future,” Brown said. “I was accepted to teach math and science for grades 6 to 10. That’s where I’d start, and you can kind of build from there. But the longer I play, the longer I’ll have to wait to do that.

“I get to meet a bunch of kids. It’s pretty funny, whenever they suspect you’re a football player, they google you because all these kids have phones now. Whenever they figure out you play in the CFL and see your Wikipedia (page), they start freaking out. It’s kind of cute when they start doing that. Most of the time, you’re just trying to help kids out.”

When you talk to him for a few minutes, it becomes obvious that Brown has a passion for helping people both inside and outside of the classroom.

Whenever he isn’t in the classroom or on the football field, he also volunteers at the Anova women’s shelter in his hometown.

According to their website, “Anova provides safe places, shelter, support, counselling, and resources for abused women, their children, and all oppressed individuals to find a new start”.

The Als offensive lineman began volunteering there when he was 17 years old. He admits that it took him some time to realize the type of impact Anova was making on the community, but he’s gotten to appreciate that more and more as he’s gotten older.

Brown doesn’t have set tasks at Anova, he just does whatever he’s asked to do. He’s done landscaping work at the shelter; he carries heavier boxes delivered by food banks and he’s helped women and children move into new homes when they leave the facility. He’s also participated in various charitable events.

“I just love their message that everybody has a right to live a life free of violence,” Brown said. That’s something I get behind and try to contribute to in any way I can.

“When I was a kid, I was more blind to it. I thought this is somewhere I need to help, and this is something people need, and I’ll do the best I can. But once you get more mature and you understand the back-story of why these people are in need and the situation they’re in, you kind of realize that you represent a whole gender of people they’re afraid of or have problems with. You try to put on the best example you can, so that they don’t have those problems, so that they don’t have those violent issues at home.”

Brown began working at Anova because his mother, Nancy Spittal, and the volunteer coordinator, Carolyn Smale, are life-long friends. Once he was old enough and he needed to do some volunteering, Brown immediately connected the dots and asked Smale if he could help out in any way.

Even though he isn’t permitted to be in the building right now because of the sanitary measures that come with a global pandemic, he still tries to show up a couple of times per month when he isn’t away playing football for the Als.

“I try to do whatever I can to try to help them. I know sometimes, these women are sensitive to what they’ve been through that I can’t be too close. I can’t try to start a conversation or things like that. I’m just trying to show that I’m helping the foundation and doing the little things around the building that they need, so that these women realize that there are men out there that do believe in preventing violence against women and do believe in stopping these things from happening.”