CFL suspends former Alouette Shawn Lemon for betting on games

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Canadian Soccer League announced on Wednesday has indefinitely suspended defensive lineman Shawn Lemon for “engaging in sports betting activity related to Canadian Football League games, including one in which he played.”

The announcement comes exactly two weeks after Lemon announced a surprise retirement from football, although he had signed a one-year contract extension with the Alouettes in December.

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“An investigation found that Mr. Lemon bet on CFL games in 2021 while he was a member of the Calgary Stampeders,” the league’s statement said. “While the investigation uncovered clear and irrefutable evidence of Mr. Lemon’s involvement, no evidence was found to indicate that the matches were in any way affected by his betting. Furthermore, no evidence was found to indicate that any Calgary coach, teammate or team staff was aware of his actions.”

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in the statement that “the integrity of our game is of utmost importance. Any other factor (professional performance, actions in the community, timing, frequency or size of bets) has no weight when the legitimacy of the CFL can be questioned.”

Lemon, 35, has played for every CFL team except Hamilton for 13 seasons. He also spent time with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as two teams in the Arena Football League and one in the Indoor Football League.

In his surprise retirement announcement, he said only that “I spent some time thinking about it and it’s time to move on.”

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The Alouettes finished 12-4, including the playoffs, after signing Lemon, who had 26 tackles, nine sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble in 13 regular-season games.

Lemon, from Charleston, SC, also had his 100th sack in the CFL last season.

“The Alouettes recently learned of the CFL’s investigation into 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 following 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 not comment further.”

The CFL statement did not say where the bets were placed. Single-game betting became legal in Canada in 2021.

Lemon is the third Canadian athlete to be suspended or banned by a major sports league since legalization. Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto has been suspended for the first half of the 2023-24 season by the NHL for an undisclosed playing violation. Former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter was suspended 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 from the Canadian Football League’s investigation into the sports betting activities of Shawn Lemon,” 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 recorded 237 tackles and 101 sacks in 237 career regular-season games. He also had three interceptions, forced 30 fumbles and recovered a fumble for a touchdown.

Lemon was a CFL star in 2022 when he had 14 sacks with Calgary, tying his career-high recorded in 2016 in 16 games with Toronto. That season he was named the best defensive player in the Western Division.

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