The Canadian Football League on Wednesday suspended Shawn Lemon indefinitely after a CFL investigation revealed he bet on league games, including one in which he played.

Shawn Lemon bet on games in 2021 while playing for the Calgary Stampeders, no evidence of game manipulation

The CFL said an investigation revealed Lemon bet on games in 2021 while playing for the Calgary Stampeders. The league did not disclose which games Lemon is alleged to have bet on or how much was wagered.

The league said the investigation revealed no evidence of game manipulation and said members of the Stampeders in 2021 were not aware of Lemon’s betting.

“The integrity of our game is of the utmost importance,” CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in the release announcing Lemon’s suspension. “Any other factors — career performance, actions in the community, timing frequency or size of wagers — hold no weight when the legitimacy of the CFB can be called into question.

“It is our responsibility as a league to investigate and address such abnormalities, and it is our collective duty, along with our teams and players, to ensure that sports wagering in no way impacts the quality nor standing of the CFL. We will continue to work with our authorized gaming operators, partners and stakeholders to hold our game to the highest standard.”

The CFL’s release did not reveal where the bets were placed. Sports betting was first legalized in Canada in August 2021, allowing provinces to regulate and tax it.

Lemon, 35, played for Montreal last season, helping the Alouettes defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 28-24 in last year’s Grey Cup. After signing Lemon, the Alouettes went 12-4, including the playoffs.

The 6-foot-2, 242-pound lineman had 26 tackles, nine sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble in 13 regular-season games.

After 13 seasons, Lemon announced his retirement April 10 as a three-time Grey Cup champion.

CFL notified Montreal Alouettes of its investigation, Lemon now third Canadian-based athlete suspended for gambling 

 

“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.”

Lemon played collegiately at the University of Akron from 2007-2010. He received the All-Mid-American Conference selection as a senior, leading the team with seven sacks and four fumble recoveries. 

The South Carolina native ended his college career with 102 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, five fumble recoveries, and six forced fumbles. 

Furthermore, Lemon is the third Canadian-based athlete to be suspended or banned by a major sports league since the legalization in 2021. 

Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto was suspended for the first half of the 2023-24 season by the NHL for an undisclosed betting violation. 

Former Toronto Raptors center 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.