“No evidence was found to indicate matches were in any way impacted by his wagering,” the league says.
The Canadian Football League announced Wednesday it has suspended defensive-lineman Shawn Lemon indefinitely for “participating in sports wagering activities involving Canadian Football League games, including one in which he played.”
The announcement comes exactly two weeks after Lemon announced a surprise retirement from football, though he had signed a one-year contract extension with the Alouettes in December.
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“An investigation uncovered that Mr. Lemon bet on CFL games in 2021 while a member of the Calgary Stampeders,” the league’s statement read. “While the investigation uncovered clear and irrefutable evidence of Mr. Lemon’s participation, no evidence was found to indicate matches were in any way impacted by his wagering. In addition, no evidence was found to indicate that any Calgary coaches, teammates, nor team personnel were aware of his actions.”
CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in the statement that “the integrity of our game is of the utmost importance. Any other factors — career performance, actions in the community, timing, frequency or size of wagers — hold no weight when the legitimacy of the CFL can be called into question.”
Lemon, 35, has played for every CFL team except Hamilton over 13 seasons. He also spent time with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers as well as two Arena Football League teams and another in the Indoor Football League.
In his surprise retirement announcement, he said only that “I just spent some time thinking about it and it’s time for me to move on.”
Road to the Cup
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The Alouettes went 12-4, including the playoffs, after signing Lemon, who had 26 tackles, nine sacks, two interceptions and one forced fumble in 13 regular-season games.
Lemon, of Charleston, S.C., also earned his 100th CFL sack last season.
“The Alouettes were recently made aware of the CFL’s investigation regarding an issue involving Shawn Lemon that took place in 2021,” the Montreal franchise said in a statement. “Additional information was made available to the club upon the completion of the league’s investigation in recent days.
“The team fully supports the CFL’s rules on gambling. As a result of this investigation and the league’s ruling, we have suspended Shawn Lemon indefinitely. We will have no further comment.”
The CFL’s statement did not say where the bets were placed. Single-game betting became legal in Canada in 2021.
Lemon is the third Canadian-based athlete to be suspended or banned by a major sports league since the legalization. Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto was suspended for the first half of the 2023-24 season by the NHL for an undisclosed gambling infraction. Former Toronto Raptors centre Jontay Porter was banned by the NBA earlier this month after a league investigation found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, limited his participation in one or more games for betting purposes and bet on NBA games.
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“The Calgary Stampeder Football Club is surprised and disappointed by the revelations of the Canadian Football League’s investigation into Shawn Lemon’s sports wagering activities,” the Stampeders stated. “The Stampeders unequivocally support the CFL’s policy on gambling and condemn the actions for which the player in question has been sanctioned.
“The Stampeders echo CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie’s comments about the utmost importance of preserving the integrity of the sport and the league. The Calgary Stampeders will have no further comment on the matter.”
The six-foot-two, 242-pound Lemon registered 237 tackles and 101 sacks in 237 career regular-season games. He also had three interceptions, forced 30 fumbles and returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Lemon was a CFL all-star in 2022 when he had 14 sacks with Calgary, tying his career-best recorded in 2016 over 16 contests with Toronto. He was named the West Division’s top defensive player that season.
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