Shawn Lemon is the third Canadian professional athlete to have been suspended due to breaking rules regarding sports betting.
The Canadian Football League announced on Wednesday, 24 April that Lemon would be suspended indefinitely. He played for three Grey Cup-winning teams over the course of his career.
Lemon, who is from South Carolina, announced unexpectedly his retirement at the end of April. This coincided with when the league conducted its investigation.
This CFL ban comes just a week following the NBA’s suspension of Toronto Raptor Jontay Porter for betting and sharing information about the NBA. Shane Pinto, of the Ottawa Senators was suspended for 41 matches for breaking league rules on betting.
A CFL release stated that the CFL found “clear, irrefutable proof” of Lemon’s violation of league policies, however, it said there was no evidence to suggest match-fixing.
The integrity of the sport is “of utmost concern”
CFL found that Lemon had bet money on games in the league, one of which he was a part. This happened in 2021. Lemon was a defensive-lineman for the Calgary Stampedes. In August 2021, single-event betting on sports became legal in Canada. Ontario is the only province that has been live to date, on April 4, 2022.
According to TSN, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie stated that “the integrity of our sport is paramount.” The legitimacy of CFL cannot be questioned by considering other factors, such as career performance, community involvement, betting frequency, or wagering size.
It is the league’s responsibility to address these abnormalities. Our teams and our players have a collective obligation to make sure that the CFL is not affected by sports betting.
Lemon’s wagering was illegal in Canada at the time.
Lemon was an All-Star in 2022. He played with eight CFL clubs during his career. Lemon played college football for Akron and was named a Mid-American All-Conference as a senior.
Lemon was a member of the Montreal Alouettes during last year’s season. It was the Winnipeg Blue Bombers who won the Grey Cup. Lemon has also been a Grey Cup winner with the Toronto Argonauts (2017, 2014) and Calgary Stampeders.
CFL didn’t specify on which platform Lemon placed his bets, nor where he happened to be when Lemon made the wagers. At the time Lemon placed his bets, it was illegal to wager on single events in Canada. However, they were available everywhere else. At that time, there were operators on the grey market who offered sports betting.
This is the CFL’s first suspension, and the 11th North American footballer banned in North America since the US made sports betting legal for states in 2018, while Canada will make it legal by 2021. The NFL banned 10 players last summer for gambling. In the past week, six of these players were reinstated, including Isaiah Rodgers, a Philadelphia Eagles player.
Detroit is the site of tonight’s NFL Draft (25 April). The CFL Draft takes place on April 30.
