A former NFL player is vying for a spot on the Calgary Stampeders’ roster and has a family connection to the city.

Griff Whalen played 43 games in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts, the San Diego Chargers and the Baltimore Ravens.

He wanted to continue playing south of the border, but the free agent didn’t get any offers.

That’s when the 29-year-old turned his attention to the CFL. He was on the Calgary Stampeders' negotiation list and signing with the Stamps just made sense.

“My wife is from here, born and raised, and her family is from here so we’ve been up here a bunch of times,” he said “You know for holidays and stuff like that so that made it really nice, so it’s somewhere we’re familiar with.”

Whalen is in a battle for one of the inside receiver spots. Head coach Dave Dickenson says having family here has really helped Whalen adjust to life in the CFL.

“He basically said he wanted to stay in the NFL, but if he did come to Canada this was the only spot he really felt he would come to because of that family connection.”

Whalen’s wife is triathlete Madi Serpico Whalen. They met in Los Angeles and not only are they both athletes, they’re both vegans. Whalen says he started it six years ago.

“I kind of just tried it,” he said. "I didn’t have intentions that I was going to eat this way forever, I just kind of tried it for a month-long thing and I felt such a big difference.”

Whalen says it’s really helped with football. He especially notices it in performance and recovery.

“Better circulation throughout your body, quicker recovery and less inflammation,” he said. “All those things as a professional athlete you can really feel the difference waking up the next day and not feeling sore.”

“Your joints feel better and just less inflammation throughout your body, so I found it a big edge.”