Alouettes’ Shawn Lemon loses appeal, three-game suspension for betting

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This time, there is no turning back for Shawn Lemon and the Alouettes.

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An independent arbitrator ruled Thursday that a veteran American football player should be immediately suspended for betting on CFL games in 2021, including a game he played in while a member of the Calgary Stampeders.

Lemon will miss at least the Alouettes’ next three games, all at Molson Stadium in July, starting with Saturday’s game against the Stamps. Montreal hosts Toronto on July 11 and then, after a week off in the schedule, hosts Saskatchewan on July 26.

Lemon was not present at Thursday’s training session at St-Léonard’s Stade Hébert and could not be reached for comment. Als general manager Danny Maciocia, while saying he was aware of the possibility of a suspension, was not pleased with the timing of the announcement, which came on the day of the team’s final full pre-match training session.

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“I don’t condone what happened,” Maciocia said after practice. “There’s no room for that; let me make it clear. What’s disturbing, I admit, is that we’re three years removed and three teams removed. I can’t speak intelligently about why it took so long. That would be a question for the league.

“It was something that should have been expected,” he added. “I don’t think anyone appreciated the timing of it. That’s more of a league question. I don’t understand and I can’t speak intelligently about the process, but the timing is far from ideal, especially when we’re 48 hours away from the game.”

The CFL initially suspended Lemon on April 24, shortly after he unexpectedly announced his retirement. Lemon, who attended the Grey Cup Ring ceremony on May 10, appealed the suspension through the CFL Players’ Association, allowing him to return to training camp practice on May 14 while continuing to play in Montreal’s first four regular-season games.

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The arbitration hearing was originally scheduled for Friday. Lemon elected to be represented by his own attorney rather than the CFLPA. Lemon’s representative requested the hearing be postponed until Aug. 1-2. The CFL requested an immediate suspension, which the arbitrator found to be justified and reasonable.

CFLPA President Solomon Elimimian was reluctant to comment when contacted by The Gazette, but confirmed in a text message that Lemon had hired an independent attorney. Elimimian did not respond when asked if he was angry about Lemon’s decision not to engage the PA.

Lemon placed 70 euros (about $100 Canadian) on a parlay bet on two games, including one he played in. However, after an investigation, the league said it found no evidence to suggest his bets influenced the games.

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Both Lemon and the CFLPA based their appeal on when players were informed of the league’s wagering policy, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. While the CFL will argue its stance was set in stone for the 2021 season, it wasn’t until June 2022, according to a published report, that the league sent an internal memo to all nine franchises reiterating its existing wagering policy to players.

Lemon adds an experienced presence to the Als, both on and off the field. In Montreal’s four games, all wins, he had six tackles, one sack and knocked down one pass. The 6-foot-2, 242-pounder has 102 sacks in 154 regular-season games during his CFL career, which began in 2011. He has been a member of every CFL organization except Hamilton.

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“Of course it changes personnel,” Maciocia said. “It changes the makeup of the team. It’s definitely going to have a domino effect as far as the game; as far as what we want to call it, we can’t do that anymore. We’re going to have to deal with it. That’s the reality and we’re moving forward.”

“We’re losing someone who’s really valued in the locker room, a leader, someone who’s been good to this team since he stepped foot here last year. His competitiveness is always there and it’s pretty contagious in the locker room.”

Based on Thursday’s practice, Lemon will be replaced by Jordan Donetsk, a rostered player who has been on the roster since training camp. The ALs could also dress Canadian Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund and bring in Avery Ellis.

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“We have guys in the hangar ready to play as our starters,” head coach Jason Maas said of Domineck. “He’s got great hands. He’s a great pass rusher; we saw that in camp. He’s an effort guy. He’s a very talented player who just needed an opportunity. He’s got a lot of things we really like about him.”

Meanwhile, punter Joseph Zema missed practice for personal reasons, according to Maas. He is expected to play on Saturday.

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