Redblacks Re-Sign Receiver Nate Behar

By Jeff Morris

The Ottawa Redblacks have re-signed Canadian receiver Nate Behar.

The Carleton Ravens grad played for the Redblacks in the 2019 season, catching 16 passes for 169 yards. He emerged as a starter late in the season. Shoring up the Canadian receiving corps became a priority for the Redblacks after Brad Sinopoli announced his retirement earlier this month.

After a 2018 season of 27 receptions for 257 yards and a touchdown for the Edmonton Elks, who drafted him fifth overall in 2017.

“Since 2014 there’s only been one football city for me. I can’t wait to be back in black and red in front of the fans at TD Place,” said Behar.  “This city deserves our best and I promise to bring my best.”

The 26-year-old had an incredible university career that saw him catch for 2,577 yards and 21 touchdowns in 30 games for the Ravens, twice earning All-Canadian honours. Behar had 22 total touchdowns at Carleton, which is tied for the school record with Scott Alexander and Joe Barnabe.

Voice of Anti-Racism

Away from football, Behar was one of the most talked about and visible players in the CFL during the pandemic. An essay that he wrote after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, MN titled ‘To Pimp a Movement’ garnered international attention. Behar, who has always been opinionated on Twitter, has been interviewed by CBC, MacLean’s and other national media outlets. He has made school appearances via Zoom across the country to talk about racism and to share his experiences in dealing with racism throughout his life.

“At first, it was kind of overwhelming and I was a little bit out of my comfort zone,” Behar said of the mainstream media attention he received after penning his essay. “But a lot of people reached out to me and supported me. I heard from a lot of people and from other players around the league and everyone was very positive.”

Behar, like many people, was horrified as he watched the disturbing video of Floyd losing his life after having his neck knelt on by a Minneapolis police officer. History may see that viral video may be the most lasting image of 2020. Some day, COVID-19 will fade away. George Floyd’s death will not. The virus has made us change the way we live our day-to-day lives. George Floyd’s death has made us change the way we look at the world around us.

“When I wrote the essay, it was purely cathartic,” Behar said. “I just had to do something – something to put my thoughts down to clear my mind. I was not thinking about who would read it or how much attention it would get.”

Behar’s father is from Jamaica and grew up in south Florida. Behar’s mother is Jewish and from Israel. No matter what part of the world he has been in, racism has always been something Behar has dealt with.

“I have been called the ‘N’ word in the States, and I have been called the ‘N’ word in Canada,” he said. “We like to think racism isn’t as bad in Canada, but it is there. You always have to live with it and deal with it.”

The first time Behar was called the ‘N’ word was during a minor football game. He was tackled by a group of players from the other team, and one of them used the racial slur at him. Behar was angered and upset, but he did not know who said it. He took his helmet off and was crying. His father knew something was wrong. When he found out what happened, he yelled at the referee and at the coach, and then he took his son home.

Perhaps the worst incident Behar had to deal with was while he was a student-athlete at Carleton. In 2016, Behar and several of his teammates went to the Queen’s University homecoming game, as it fell on Carleton’s bye week. Behar was with a couple of friends when they walked by a large gathering of people drinking in front of a large house.  Some words were exchanged, and Behar said before he knew it, he was pinned to a car by a large group of people being called the ‘N’ word. He was sucker punched during the incident.

About six hours later, he and the four teammates he was with had to walk by the house again. From across the street, he heard one of people in front of the house yell, “Hey, there’s that n—– again.” Behar was attacked and hit in the head with a stick. He was knocked out cold.

Those memories were among the ones that flooded back to Nate Behar when he saw the video of George Floyd.

“There is racism in Canada and in the U.S., but it’s not that one place is worse than the other,” Behar said. “The racism is just different. Canada does not have the same history with slavery as the United States does, but I think that the racism against Indigenous Canadians is similar to the racism problems in the U.S.”

Behar has been actively following the Black Lives Matter and Campaign Zero movements for the past several years. Football was drawn into the movement five years ago when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick opted to take a knee rather than stand during the national anthem. Behar said that while Kaepernick was criticized and ultimately lost his football playing career over his controversial actions, he did bring attention to the issue of systemic racism. Behar wondered how much impact Kaepernick’s actions had on the national and then global reaction to Floyd’s death. He said Kaepernick’s actions “certainly planted a lot of seeds.”

While Behar has become somewhat of an accidental voice of anti-racism in Canada, his focus is still on football.

Before the pandemic, Behar was a big part of Carleton’s Junior Ravens Football Camp and the Carleton Ravens Elite Prospects Program. Coaching young players is important to Behar, both to give back to the program but also to be a positive role model for young players.

“Sometimes you hear people say we strive for a world that is colour blind when it comes to racism, but I don’t agree with that,” Behar said. “I want kids to see all colours. I want them to see how they are different from one another, and to embrace those differences. Football and sports bring kids together and will turn kids from different backgrounds into a team. One of the unfortunate things about COVID-19 is that the kids are losing a full season. Not only to they lose a year of playing, but they are losing a year of learning, growing and forming friendships with people from different backgrounds.”

To listen to Nate Behar speaking out on racism, listen to the August 19, 2020 Carleton Ravens Football Podcast. Please note, in the interview with Behar, he reads an expert of ‘To Pimp A Movement’, which includes usage of the ‘N’ word and the ‘F’ word.