‘One of my whys’: Riders’ Allen keeps memory of friend close to his heart

Many CFL players have at least one reason they continue to play the sport they love.

For Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker A.J. Allen, one of his reasons is Kyle Coleman – Allen’s first roommate at the University of Guelph.

“He was an incredible individual. He was someone who helped me through a tough time because I was having a tough time the first year in terms of grades and stuff like that,” the 25-year-old Allen said. “He was just a light and kept the people optimistic in their day-to-day basis and kept trying to make people smile, no matter what was going on with him.”

On Dec. 10, 2016, Coleman died suddenly, just months after Allen had first met him.

“We had a great night. He had an exam the next day and didn’t feel like studying. We went out and partied, we came back and ordered pizza and it was a great time,” Allen said. “I went to bed at like 2 a.m., and by the time I woke up, there was police officers at my door and they were telling me what happened.

“I didn’t believe it because when I went to bed, he was there.”

Allen said it was tough as a new university student to lose one of his good friends.

“You don’t know how to handle it. I try to be a person that tries to make the right decisions all the time but in that instance, you don’t know what it is,” the Burlington, Ont. product said. “It’s the first time I lost someone in my life. “It was tough to focus on (school and football). I’m still trying to be a great brother, a great son, a good teammate and a leader but it’s tough to navigate because I had never done that before.

“You try to get through it by trying to grow. I tried my best to talk about it and get my emotions out there so I’m not the only one holding the bear (and) I’m not the only one hurting.”

In order to always keep the memory of Coleman with him, Allen got the words “My Angels are my Protectors” as a tattoo.

“This sport and profession is not for everyone. Everybody has a why and one of my whys is him as well,” Allen said. “Just keep playing for him and that’s why I got this tattoo on my arm – just to remind me in those tough times he is my why and I’ve got to keep pushing for those people I love.”

The impact Coleman had on Allen is something he tries to emulate in his day-to-day life.

“That has a big impact on me trying to be a good teammate outside of football,” Allen said. “(I’m) checking in on people and making sure they are OK, whether that be a football issue or an issue with their wife or whatever the case may be.

“(I’m) just trying to be a good person outside of football because that is the stuff that is important … He reminds me to do that.”

It’s also why mental health is an important thing to discuss for the young linebacker.

“I want to be a person that people can come to and talk to, not only about football issues but just in general,” Allen said. “After it happened, I couldn’t sleep – I tried my best to be up until 2:30, 3 o’clock just in case anyone needed me.”

With the memory of Coleman driving him, Allen has turned into a reliable CFL player.

His football journey started as a child in Burlington when his mom signed him up to play summer football.

“What got me into football was my mom wanted to get me out of the house. I used to play video games a lot and she wanted to get me out of the house,” Allen said. “I fell in love with it right away.

“I used to love basketball. I was pretty good at (football) at the time. I used to play D-end. I was pretty good at the start, so I loved it.”

As a member of the Burlington Stampeders, Allen played with a few players who have risen through the ranks, including former B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke and Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Josh Palmer.

Allen went on to play with the Guelph Gryphons in U Sports.

“You always have that culture shock of you were the best guy in high school but now you’re not,” Allen said. “I think it kind of started in Year 1 and 2 when you are seeing guys who are not as big or strong as they said they were or that you could keep up in some shape or form.”

After four seasons there, he was drafted with the 35th pick in the 2020 draft by the Riders. His Guelph teammate, Kian Schaffer-Baker, was taken by the Riders’ with the 30th pick.

“It was awesome. That was a crazy round because my other friend, Oludotun Aketepe, was drafted to Edmonton (with the 32nd pick) right before me and he was my housemate,” Allen said. “We were watching together, jumping for joy for him, then we saw Kian’s name and was jumping for joy for him and then it was me.

“It was a crazy round. It’s awesome to come out here and not be alone.”

While Allen participated in training camp with the team in 2020, he was eventually sent back for another year at Guelph.

“That was a difficult one because I thought I was ready,” Allen said. “I came in real heavy. With a short training camp and no pre-season games, it wasn’t enough time for me to work through those kinks.”

So he went back and polished his game and now has emerged as a productive player for the Riders. In 2023, he has seen more and more playing time on defence and is also a special-teams contributor, with nine special-teams tackles. That was tied for third-most in the CFL entering the week.

“It’s all a part of a journey. You just try to get better every week,” Allen said.