Referee renews suspension for Shawn Lemon of the Alouettes

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

An independent arbitrator ruled on Thursday that the experienced rush end should be suspended with immediate effect for betting on CFL games in 2021, including one in which he himself participated as a member of the Calgary Stampeders.

Lemon will miss at least the Alouettes’ next three games, all of which will be played at Molson Stadium in July, starting with Saturday night’s game against the Stamps. Montreal hosts Toronto on July 11 and then, after a break in play, hosts Saskatchewan on July 26.

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Lemon was absent from practice at St-Léonard’s Stade Hébert on Thursday and could not be reached for comment. While Als general manager Danny Maciocia said he was aware of the possibility of a suspension, he was not happy with the timing of the announcement, which came on the day of the team’s last full practice before the game.

“I don’t condone what happened,” Maciocia said after training. “There is no room for that, I have to say that very clearly. What bothers me, I admit, is that three years and three teams have passed. I can’t say reasonably why it took so long. That would be a question for the league.”

“That was to be expected,” he added. “I don’t think anyone is guessing the timing. That’s a question that the league should be answering. I don’t understand the process and I can’t speak sensibly about it, but the timing is far from ideal, especially when we’re 48 hours away from a game.”

The CFL initially suspended Lemon on April 24, shortly after he made a surprise announcement of his retirement. Lemon, who attended the team’s Grey Cup ring ceremony on May 10, appealed the suspension to the CFL Players’ Association, after which he was allowed to return to training camp on May 14 and still play the first four games of the regular season for Montreal.

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A mediation hearing was originally scheduled for Friday. Lemon then decided to be represented by his own attorney rather than the CFLPA’s. Lemon’s representative requested that the hearing be adjourned to August 1-2. The CFL requested an immediate stay, which the mediator found to be justified and appropriate.

CFLPA President Solomon Elimimian declined to comment when contacted by the Gazette, but confirmed via text message that Lemon had hired an independent attorney. Asked if he was upset about Lemon’s decision to no longer involve the PA, Elimimian did not respond.

Lemon placed a €70 (about $100 Canadian) bet on a combination of two games, including one in which he played. However, after the investigation, the league said it found no evidence that his bet influenced the games.

Both Lemon and the CFLPA based their appeals on when players were informed of the league’s betting policies, according to a source familiar with the situation. While the CFL will argue that its position was established during the 2021 season, it wasn’t until June 2022 that the league sent an internal memo to all nine franchises reiterating its existing gambling policies for players, according to a published report.

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Lemon is a veteran presence for the Als, both on and off the field. In Montreal’s four games, all of which were won, he had six defensive tackles, one sack and one pass defense. The 6’2″, 240-pound player recorded 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.

“It obviously changes the personnel,” Maciocia said. “It changes the composition of the squad. It will definitely have a domino effect as far as the game is concerned; what we might want to say we can’t do anymore. We just have to deal with it. That’s the reality and we’re moving on.”

“We’re losing someone who is really valued in the locker room, a leader, someone who has been good to this team since he came here last year. His competitive spirit is still there and that’s pretty contagious in the locker room.”

Based on Thursday’s practice, Lemon will be replaced by Jordan Domineck, a practice squad player who has been with the team since training camp. The Als also always start Canadian Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund and import Avery Ellis.

“We have guys in our hangar ready to play like our starters,” head coach Jason Maas said of Domineck. “He’s great with his hands. He’s a great pass rusher; we saw that in camp. A hard-working guy. He’s a very talented player who just needed a chance. He’s got a number of things we really like about him.”

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

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