Proud Jamaican digs Celine Dion

He's one of just a handful of Jamaican natives in the NFL, so defensive tackle Jovan Haye is carrying the flag for an entire nation. And so what if he loves Celine Dion? It's still hard to knock his 4.5 high school GPA.

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER, Times Staff Writer
Published October 14, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT Jovan Haye

You're from Jamaica, where football probably isn't a big deal. Do you know of any Jamaican NFL players?

I've heard there are about three or four. I do know there's not many.

Do your relatives there know much about American football?

They're starting to now because they have a lot of the same channels we get through satellite. The NFL is huge right now. I mean, they still have their football, which is soccer. But my dad said that when he went back a couple of months ago, they were watching a lot of football down there. But it's still kind of hard to get Bucs games down there.

You haven't been back in a long time, but what are your memories of Jamaica?

Man, I remember growing up, running the streets with no shoes on. We struggled down there. Especially where I lived. People go to Jamaica and say how beautiful everything is. It is, but that's mostly on the west coast, down where all the resorts and tourists are. Where I lived, Tollgate, it's a small town where everybody keeps their doors (unlocked).

It doesn't sound like you have a thick accent. Where did it go?

I do have a heavy accent. But I've been here so long that I guess I switch it up. But if I'm around somebody who talks like I do, I can flip it like that. People always say that when I get mad or when I'm trying to make a point, you can hear some of it come out.

You were an impressive student in high school. What's this about a 4.5 grade-point average?

Yes. And you have to mention it was on a 4.0 scale. But you know what? A lot of people don't know this, but I suffer from dyslexia. I didn't get rolling until I was in high school. Before that, I was a D and F student. It wasn't really treated. When I was in grade school, I couldn't put a sentence together. I used to skip school because kids would make fun of me. I struggled all the way through middle school. It was hard reading things backward, and I had a big stuttering problem. Things didn't start clicking until my English teacher Mrs. Patterson sat me down and gave me a talk. She told me to stop using it as an excuse. I never really looked back, to be honest.

It was that easy?

Well, one day it just stopped. It's like it went away. No one in my family really knows what happened. I still struggled, though, because I didn't care. I had to start caring about school. I just had an attitude like, "I'm never going to be able to learn." But I started thinking, "You know what? Maybe one day I do want to go to college."

And then you made it to Vanderbilt, which is a very tough academic school.

Yeah, that brought me down to earth, though. I got there with this 4.5 GPA, and I thought I was good. But then, in my first semester, I ended up with a 1.8. They almost kicked me out of school. I started thinking about that, and I knew I couldn't go back home. I saw so many guys make it to college on football and flunk out, and I didn't want that to be me. So, I buckled down and got my grades up.

Okay, what's this about you and Celine Dion?

I love Celine Dion. I have every album she's ever made. I think that goes back to my junior year in high school. My mother used to listen to her, and I just always thought she had one of those unmistakable voices. It's up there with Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, people like that.

Celine Dion? Really?

Yeah. And I have a funny story. I was riding down Dale Mabry Highway to a game one day, and I stopped at a light. I had the windows down with Celine Dion turned up loud. There were about six guys in the truck next to me who just looked at me like I was crazy. I saw one of them tap another guy and point at me like, "What?" And I was driving my big Denali truck. I guess they thought I should be playing some rap or something. I love the looks people give me.

Fast facts

Jovan Haye

Position: Defensive tackle

Age: 25

Ht./wt.: 6-2, 285

Hometown: Tollgate, Jamaica

College: Vanderbilt. Named second team All-Southeastern Conference in 2003; tied for conference lead with 8.5 sacks as a sophomore, most by a Vanderbilt player since 1994.

Pro: Drafted in sixth round by Carolina in 2005; played in two games as a rookie; spent time on Cleveland practice squad last season before being signed to Bucs active roster in October 2006; played in nine games for Tampa Bay last season, netting 25 tackles; started all five games at defensive tackle in 2007.

[Last modified October 13, 2007, 17:24:56]