Professional football player Marc-Antoine Dequoy is stepping away from the game on his own terms.
The Montréal Alouettes safety announced his retirement Monday, closing the book on a five-season CFL career spent entirely in his hometown colours. At 31, and with free agency looming, Dequoy chose to walk away to focus on his family. "There was a genuine desire to return, and we had an agreement on the table, but after discussing it with my loved ones late into the night, I realized my body was no longer ready for that kind of sacrifice."
Drafted 14th overall by Montreal in 2020, Dequoy’s path to the CFL was anything but linear. The league’s cancelled season that year pushed him briefly toward the NFL, where he attended the Green Bay Packers’ rookie mini-camp, before he finally suited up for the Alouettes in 2021. What followed was a steady rise into one of the most reliable Canadian defensive backs in the league.
Over 73 regular-season games, Dequoy became a fixture in Montreal’s secondary, combining size, speed, and instincts. He earned CFL all-star honours in 2023 and 2024, helped anchor the defence during the Alouettes’ 2023 Grey Cup run, and finished his career with 162 tackles, 12 interceptions, five forced fumbles, and three defensive touchdowns. Even in his final season, he remained impactful, recording a pick-six as Montreal returned to the Grey Cup in 2025.
Outside of his athletic performances, Dequoy became a worldwide star after the Als' Grey Cup win, when the Québécois, francophone player delivered an emotional speech. Noting that all the signage was in English and that the Canadian national anthem, written as Québécois separatist hymn before being appropriated and translated, was performed exclusively in English. "You can keep your English!", he sneered, creating a viral moment among Francophone sports fans worldwide.
A product of the Université de Montréal Carabins, Dequoy’s career has left a mark on the city. His departure leaves a notable void in Montreal’s defensive lineup.
