Riders QB Cody Fajardo uses catch-phrase to talk about Catholic faith

The recent success of Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo has made him synonymous with two things: Dropping 40-yard bombs to his receivers, and using a new catch-phrase to account for the Riders’ wins this season.

He used the phrase “sprinkle of Jesus” in a post-game interview on Thursday to explain his return to the game, after he appeared to sustain an ankle injury.

A jubilant Fajardo was thankful he could return to the game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and score a game-winning touchdown.

Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo enjoys a post-game corn dog from the Queen City Ex after beating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 1, 2019. (Cody Fajardo Twitter page)

The quarterback chalked up the team’s success to God and his Christian faith.

Despite his sincerity and openness as a practising Catholic, Fajardo said the catch-phrase started as an on-field joke during his time with the B.C. Lions, last season.

“Myself, (and fellow quarterbacks) Travis Lulay and Jon Jennings, we actually went to a Catholic church every Sunday, any chance we got the opportunity (and) Travis being a Catholic quarterback himself,” Fajardo said.

“We always joked, anytime you threw the ball and it went off the defenders’ hands, it was a sprinkle of Jesus, because it doesn’t go down as a stat,” he said, referencing interceptions.

He has decided to take the phrase, evolve it a bit and use it as part of his platform, as a Riders quarterback and a Catholic, he said.

“That’s who God is for me; He’s everywhere. And it’s been kind of exciting for me that (the catch-phrase) has taken off,” Fajardo said.

His faith happened to intersect with his love of corn dogs during the Queen City Ex, too.

The Riders QB said he went to the annual fair on Monday for his second corn dog, after a celebratory first one on Thursday night. That gave him a chance to interact with fans.

It’s always a treat to give back to fans, whether that means snapping photos with them, signing autographs or “talking about my faith and who I am as a person,” he said.

As for what’s becoming his signature catch-phrase, Fajardo said he hopes to turn it into a charitable endeavour.

“People want me to do shirts, and I’m looking into doing some ‘sprinkle of Jesus’ shirts, and donating the money to one of the local children’s hospitals here,” he said.

— With files from 980 CJME’s Britton Gray