Connect with us

National

Canadian twins Chase and Sydney Brown set to make American college football history

Published

7 minute read

They were born together, they grew up together and attend the same American university.

Next week, Canadians Chase and Sydney Brown will make U.S. college football history together.

The Browns, identical twins from London, Ont., will represent Illinois at the Big Ten media days Tuesday and Wednesday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. It’s reportedly the first time in U.S. college football history that twins will participate in a media day event together.

Illinois’ session is scheduled for Wednesday.

“Sydney and I always dreamt about playing college ball together and that’s been the story since the start,” Chase Brown told The Canadian Press in a telephone interview. “A couple of days ago we looked back and reflected on our path to where we are right now.

“We recalled a time when we were at our mom’s place looking out at local high school in London watching homecoming games and thinking we couldn’t wait to play high school football and be like those guys . . . and here we are now. This is a terrific opportunity to represent the great men and players who’ve been part of this program and the university at such a high level . . . it’s one we’re looking forward to and ready for.”

The brothers were significant contributors last season for Illinois (5-7 overall record, 4-5 in the Big Ten) in Bret Bielema’s first season as head coach.

Chase Brown, a five-foot-11, 205-pound running back, was the Big Ten’s third-leading rusher (1,005 yards on 170 carries, 5.9-yard average) with five touchdowns. He added 14 catches for 142 yards (10.1-yard average) and was named to the All Big 10 third team.

Sydney Brown, a six-foot, 200-pound defensive back, is a four-year starter at the school with 262 tackles and four interceptions in 38 career starts. He was an All-Big Ten honorable mention last season after registering 81 tackles (team-high 50 solo).

This week, Chase Brown was added to the watch list for both the Maxwell Award for college player of the year and Doak Walker Award for top running back. He was also on last year’s Walker list.

A second straight 1,000-yard season would enhance Chase Brown’s childhood dream of one day playing in the NFL. And he’s looking forward to being a part of first-year offensive co-ordinator/quarterback coach  Barry Lunny Jr.’s gameplan.

“His offence is a lot faster, we’re spread out more and we’re going to get a lot of playmakers the ball as well,” Brown said. “That’s going to be exciting to watch and I’m glad to be a part of it.

“But I’m not going to change the way I play. I’m going to go hard no matter what every single time I get an opportunity on the field . . . if I do that, then everything else will fall into place.”

While an NFL career remains a priority for Brown, he’s keeping the door open on a possible return to Canada.

“My goal since I I was a child was to play pro football,” he said. “I grew up watching Canadian football, I played it in high school and I’m not opposed to that idea at all.

“I’m not in control of where I go. The only thing I control right now is the work I put in and the production I have on the field . . . that’s what I have to focus on.”

The Browns began their high school careers in London before moving to Bradenton, Fla., and helping St. Stephen’s Episcopal School win consecutive Sunshine State Athletic Conference titles. Chase Brown originally enrolled at Western Michigan because of its aviation program before rejoining his brother at Illinois.

There’s precious little physically that distinguishes the two, who both wear their hair in a bun. Sydney Brown is slightly bigger but Chase Brown is the older of the two, by about two minutes. In full gear, the only way to tell them apart on the field is by their numbers — Chase Brown wears No. 2 while Sydney Brown dons No. 30.

If the Browns graduate to the pro ranks. they’ll very likely be on different teams, something Chase Brown said he and his brother fully understand.

“Obviously we don’t choose where we go at the next level,” Brown said. “A lot of it has to do with how we play and what teams are interested.

“But we’ve done so much here together that we’ll be able to reflect upon it together in the future, so we’re good.”

This season, the Browns will again be carrying the torch for young football players north of the border, providing more evidence Canadians can play in the NCAA.

“Canada is often overlooked for football,” Brown said. “I just hope we can motivate more Canadians to make the move and just know it’s not impossible to get down and play at a Power Five school.

“But this doesn’t come without sacrifice, it takes a lot of hard work. As long as you learn to put in the work, it’s not impossible to do.”

Illinois is slated to open its ’22 season hosting Wyoming on Aug. 27. And Brown, for one, isn’t resting upon his laurels.

“We’re really confident in what we have and we’re just looking forward to putting it on the field,” he said. “We just have to dominate every single week, be the best players we can be on the field, the best people we can in the community and leave Champagne, Ill., feeling good and like we left this university in a better place than when we came in.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2022.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press

Storytelling is in our DNA. We provide credible, compelling multimedia storytelling and services in English and French to help captivate your digital, broadcast and print audiences. As Canadaā€™s national news agency for 100 years, we give Canadians an unbiased news source, driven by truth, accuracy and timeliness.

Follow Author

Addictions

Ontario to restrict Canadian governmentā€™s supervised drug sites, shift focus to helping addicts

Published on

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government tabled the Safer Streets, Stronger Communities Act that will place into law specific bans on where such drug consumption sites are located.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is making good on a promise to close so-called drug “supervision” sites in his province and says his government will focus on helping addicts get better instead of giving them free drugs.

Ford’s Progressive Conservative government on Monday tabled the Safer Streets, Stronger Communities Act that will place into law specific bans on where such drug consumption sites are located.

Specifically, the new bill will ban “supervised” drug consumption sites from being close to schools or childcare centers. Ten sites will close for now, including five in Toronto.

The new law would prohibit the “establishment and operation of a supervised consumption site at a location that is less than 200 meters from certain types of schools, private schools, childcare centers, Early child and family centers and such other premises as may be prescribed by the regulations.”

It would also in effect ban municipalities and local boards from applying for an “exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Canada) for the purpose of decriminalizing the personal possession of a controlled substance or precursor.”

Lastly, the new law would put strict “limits” on the power municipalities and local boards have concerning “applications respecting supervised consumption sites and safer supply services.”

“Municipalities and local boards may only make such applications or support such applications if they have obtained the approval of the provincial Minister of Health,” the bill reads.

The new bill is part of a larger omnibus bill that makes changes relating to sex offenders as well as auto theft, which has exploded in the province in recent months.

In September, Ford had called the federal government’s lax drug policies tantamount to being the “biggest drug dealer in the entire country” and had vowed to act.

In speaking about the new bill, Ontario Minister of Health Sylvia Jones said the Ford government does not plan to allow municipal requests to the government regarding supervised consumption sites.

“Municipalities and organizations like public health units have to first come to the province because we don’t want them bypassing and getting any federal approval for something that we vehemently disagree with,” Jones told the media on Monday.

She also clarified that “there will be no further safe injection sites in the province of Ontario under our government.”

Ontario will instead create 19 new intensive addiction recovery to help those addicted to deadly drugs.

Alberta and other provinces have had success helping addicts instead of giving them free drugs.

As reported by LifeSiteNews, deaths related to opioid and other drug overdoses in Alberta fell to their lowest levels in years after the Conservative government began to focus on helping addicts via a recovery-based approach instead of the Liberal-minded, so-called “safe-supply” method.

Despite public backlash with respect to supervised drug consumption sites, Health Canada recently approved 16 more drug consumption sites in Ontario. Ford mentioned in the press conference that each day he gets “endless phone calls about needles being in the parks, needles being by the schools and the daycares,” calling the situation “unacceptable.”

The Liberals claim their “safer supply” program is good because it is “providing prescribed medications as a safer alternative to the toxic illegal drug supply to people who are at high risk of overdose.”

However, studies have shown that these programs often lead an excess of deaths from overdose in areas where they are allowed.

While many of the government’s lax drug policies continue, they have been forced to backpedal on some of their most extreme actions.

After the federal government allowed British Columbia to decriminalize the possession of hard drugs including heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, meth and MDMA beginning January 1, 2023, reports of overdoses and chaos began skyrocketing, leading the province to request that Trudeau re-criminalize drugs in public spaces.

A week later, the federal government relented and accepted British Columbia’s request.

Continue Reading

Alberta

Alberta government announces review of Trudeauā€™s euthanasia regime

Published on

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

The Conservative provincial government of Alberta is pushing back against the Canadian federal government’s continued desire to expand euthanasia in the nation, saying it will launch a review of the legislation and policies surrounding the grim practice, including a period of public engagement. 

The United Conservative Party (UCP) government under Premier Danielle Smith in a press release said the province needs to make sure that robust safeguards and procedures are in place to protect vulnerable people from being coerced into getting euthanatized under the MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) program.

“Alberta’s government is reviewing how MAID is regulated to ensure there is a consistent process as well as oversight that protects vulnerable Albertans, specifically those living with disabilities or suffering from mental health challenges,” said the government Monday.  

The government said a online survey regarding MAiD open to all Albertans who have opinions about the deadly practice will be available until December 20.  

“We recognize that medical assistance in dying is a very complex and often personal issue and is an important, sensitive and emotional matter for patients and their families,” said Alberta’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General Mickey Amery. 

Amery said it is important to ensure this process has the “necessary supports to protect the most vulnerable.” 

The government said that it will also be engaging with academics, medical associations, public bodies, as well as religious organizations and “regulatory bodies, advocacy groups” regarding MAiD  

The government said all information gathered through this consultation will “help inform the Alberta government’s planning and policy decision making, including potential legislative changes regarding MAID in Alberta.” 

When it comes to MAiD, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government sought to expand it from the chronically and terminally ill to those suffering solely from mental illness. 

Alberta’s Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Dan Williams said that the UCP government has been “clear” that it does not “support the provision of medically assisted suicide for vulnerable Albertans facing mental illness as their primary purpose for seeking their own death.” 

“Instead, our goal is to build a continuum of care where vulnerable Albertans can live in long-term health and fulfilment. We look forward to the feedback of Albertans as we proceed with this important issue,” he noted.  

The Alberta government said that as MAiD is “federally legislated and regulated” it is main job will be to try and make sure that it protects “vulnerable individuals” as much as possible. 

Alberta’s Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange reaffirmed that the Alberta government “does not support expanding MAID eligibility to include those facing depression or mental illness and continues to call on the federal government to end this policy altogether.” 

The number of Canadians killed by lethal injection under the nation’s MAiD program since 2016 stands at close to 65,000, with an estimated 16,000 deaths in 2023 alone. Many fear that because the official statistics are manipulated the number may be even higher.

To combat Canadians being coerced into MAiD, which LifeSiteNews has covered, the combat pro-life Delta Hospice Society (DHS) is offering a free “Do Not Euthanize Defense Kit” to help vulnerable people “protect themselves” from any healthcare workers who might push euthanasia on the defenseless. 

Continue Reading

Trending

X