MONTREAL – Defensive tackle Steve Charbonneau, who helped the Edmonton Eskimos win two CFL championships, is ending his 11-year career.
“I have had a lot of fun throughout my football career but, at 34, I think it’s time for me to move on,” Charbonneau said Wednesday.
The native of Cowansville, Que., entered the CFL with Montreal in 1997 out of the University of New Hampshire and spent five seasons with the Alouettes. Montreal released him in 2002 after he refused to take a pay cut as part of team cost-cutting moves and he joined Edmonton in 2002. He helped the Esks beat the Als in the 2003 Grey Cup game.
Injuries plagued him in 2004 but the six-foot-five, 295-pound lineman rebounded to help the Esks win the title again in 2005. He played in Edmonton for two more years before rejoining the Alouettes.
Well known in the Montreal region for his involvement with the Als’ community programs, Charbonneau is president of Stak Fitness, a company that retails workout equipment, and he owns Energie Cardio gym with his wife, former Olympic speedskater Isabelle Charest.
