FlagPlus Football Interview Series Part 3: Pat Jérome

In part three of the FlagPlus Football Interview Series, I had a chance to meet up and talk to Baltimore Ravens fan, FPF Hall-of-Famer, 10-time champion, and arguably the best player in the history of the league, the one and only Pat Jérome. During our conversation, we spoke about football, family, his past, and how he has fun.

Q: You started playing in FPF back in 2009. How did you find out about the league?

A: My friends (FPF veterans) Tam Vilaydeth and Karim Chaoual, brought me into the league. Up until that point, I had never played flag football.

Q: Before joining FPF, where were you playing?

A: “I played Safety for the Laval Bulldogs of the LFS 12 league. I stopped playing tackle two years ago, but I will say that playing FPF made me a better tackle football player.”

Q: What attracted you to FPF?

A: “The first time I played flag, I said to myself, oh wow this is fun. Honestly, I was hooked right away as soon as I touched the field. It is different than tackle, obviously with the contact, and you move your hips a lot more on offense, and attack just the hips on defense, but at the same time there are a lot of similarities. At the end of the day, its football, and it is fun, and that is what this league is about.”

Q: You have won 10 championships, multiple individual awards, and were elected to the Hall-of-Fame back in 2018. What drives you to keep on playing?

A: “I keep coming back because of the challenge. I want to get better. I see the young guys coming into FPF, they’re flashy, but they take this league seriously, as do the veterans. You look around and you see there is competition everywhere. I am 39 years-old, and I am still playing like I was 22. I am still having fun, and every time I play, I learn something new.”

Q: You have played almost 450 games in FPF. Do you have a favorite one?

A: “I can’t pick just one. There are three that standout. These are in no particular order. Our (Allstars) championship win over the Braves (Winter 2022), Triple Sixers championship victory over Chaos (Spring 2009), and our win (Terror Squad) over the Gladiateurs (Winter 2013), when we won on a pick 2.” (Jerome ran a 2-point conversion back for the winning score in a (45-44) victory.

Q: You have played in other leagues, what in your opinion makes FPF unique?

A: “This league is great. You have so many different players from all over. There is tons of competition and talent, different divisions, the officials, the rules, the staff, they are all good. I have played in other leagues, and no one can match what FPF has to offer.” 

Q: Many people consider you one of, if not the best player in the history of the league. When you look at the all-time list of great players who have played in FPF, where do you rank yourself?

A: “I rank myself fourth.”

Q: That’s low. Who is front of you on your list?

A: “Akked Moore, Paul Kamel, and Kevin Wyeth. There are a lot of great players in this league past and present.”

Q: What is one thing that people don’t know about you as a player, and as a person?

A: “I don’t think I am that good of a player. I feel like playing helps me get better. I also never played offense in my career before coming to FPF. I didn’t know how to catch a football properly. Karim broke two of my fingers throwing 5-yard passes to me trying to teach me how to catch. As a person, I was in the drug game in my twenties. My roommate at the time got arrested and went to jail because of drugs. I stopped all that to go play flag and get out the streets. FPF literally saved my life.”

 FPF honestly saved my life. I literally saved my life.”  

Q: Out of all the players you played against, who gave you the most problems?

A: (FPF Hall-of-Famer) “Akked Moore. Big-bodied Receiver and Defensive Back with speed to go with that size. I always had trouble going against him. He was a monster. I couldn’t do sh*% against him.”

Q: With so many championships and awards, you obviously know what it takes to win. What do you think is the key to being both a good teammate, and a good team?

A: “To win as a team, you need a team that will play together and for each other. You have no selfish players. In a teammate, you always want someone that doesn’t care about their stats and individual success. It is all about playing with the team, for the team, and doing everything you can to help the team reach that one goal. I have had games where I didn’t catch a single pass. I was just a decoy, and I loved it. Everybody else got to eat, and I was happy because my teammates were successful, and we won.”

Q: With over 522 touchdowns, 129 interceptions including 16 returned for TDs, which do you prefer playing more Receiver or Defensive Back?

A: “Both” replies Jérome with a huge smile on his face. “I like both and I want to play both. I hate coming off the field. If we do good or play bad, we are doing it together.” After a few seconds he changes his answer. “Sometimes I prefer offense, and other times defense.” Like a true Receiver, he says, “it depends on the Quarterback. If its Kevin Wyeth asking me, I will always pick offense.”

 Q: You’re 39 years old. Any thoughts of retirement?

A: “Never, I am back in the gym.” He says with a big smile on his face. “I will retire when I can’t run anymore, and even then, I’ll just play Quarterback. I am not a good QB, but I’ll still do it. Maybe in a decade I’ll play in the 35 plus division. When I do retire, my kids will play FPF. I can coach them.”

Q: What is your life like away from the football field?

A: “Obviously I work, but when I am not doing that, I play with the kids, do stuff with my wife, and go out to do family things together and have fun, which is what I love to do. I am a fun person. I also love to make my kids happy. We go on road trips and to chalets. I also teach the little ones about basketball and soccer too.”

Q: How has football become a family affair for you?

A: “My wife loves football. Before we had kids, she would come to all my tournaments in Canada and the United States. Now, I bring my kids to my tournaments, and they love it too. My two-year-old son knows how to throw a football, so I am going to send him to Kevin Wyeth, and we will turn him into the next Lamar Jackson, or even better.”