The Montreal Alouettes signed Shawn Lemon to a contract through the rest of the CFL season Thursday, one day after the veteran defensive lineman was reinstated from a gambling suspension.
Lemon played in parts of the last two seasons with the Alouettes and helped Montreal win a Grey Cup in 2023.
The 36-year-old was suspended indefinitely on April 24, 2024, for wagering on league games in 2021 while a member of the Calgary Stampeders, including one game in which he played.
Following an appeal, an independent arbitrator upheld the suspension.
His reinstatement comes with specific conditions. Any future violations of the league’s match manipulation policy will result in a lifetime ban.
Although Lemon can resume his career, he still needs to serve a two-game suspension under the league’s drug policy after testing positive for the banned stimulant phentermine, which is prescribed as an appetite suppressant.
The Alouettes announced his signing an hour before kickoff Thursday against the Toronto Argonauts. Lemon was seen exiting Montreal’s Olympic Stadium wearing an Alouettes hat and backpack Wednesday.
“We’re very happy to have Shawn back with us,” Alouettes general manager Danny Maciocia said in a statement. “With him, we’re a better team. Shawn has taken care of his body throughout his career, he knows our system and most of our players, and we’re confident he’ll help us win games. This is a fresh start for him with us.”
Suspended players can’t participate in regular-season or post-season games. It is at the club’s discretion whether to allow players to participate in other team activities, such as training camp, pre-season games, practices or meetings.
The CFL’s original suspension of Lemon came two weeks following his retirement after helping Montreal defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 28-24 in the ’23 Grey Cup. Lemon initially signed a one-year deal with the Alouettes in December 2023 to play a 14th CFL campaign.
The league said at the time no evidence indicated games were impacted by Lemon’s wagering and that Stampeders coaches, teammates and team personnel were unaware of his actions.
Lemon appealed his suspension in May, which allowed him to report to Montreal’s training camp and play with the CFL team. He helped the Alouettes open the ’24 season with four straight wins before another arbitrator ruled July 4 to reinstate the league’s original indefinite suspension.
The six-foot-two, 242-pound Lemon is a three-time Grey Cup champion who has recorded 262 tackles, two special-teams tackles and 102 sacks over his CFL career.
The native of Charleston, S.C., began his pro career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as a practice-roster player in 2011 and has spent time with every CFL team, some on multiple occasions, except Hamilton.
His other Grey Cup wins were with Calgary (2014) and Toronto (2017).
