Just four months ago, Shawn Lemon signed a new one-year contract with the Montreal Alouettes. At midday on Wednesday, the defensive end announced his retirement on social media.
“Thank you, football,” he wrote in white and black in a long message on the X platform. He also thanked the members of his family, his former teammates and the eight teams for which he played during his 13 seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Lemon joined the Alouettes last July and his arrival was a saving grace for the Montreal defensive brigade. In 13 games, the American made nine sacks and 26 tackles in addition to making two interceptions. He was one of the key pieces of the team in its conquest of the Gray Cup.
PHOTO NATHAN DENETTE, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Shawn Lemon celebrated his team’s Gray Cup victory in style
With the departure of Lwal Uguak to the NFL, this announcement from Lemon is a hard blow for the Alouettes’ defensive line, which was one of the most terrifying in the league in 2023. Mustafa Johnson will have his hands full, but the The arrival of star player Dylan Wynn will undoubtedly help compensate for this loss in the short term. Still, general manager Danny Maciocia will have his work cut out for him in the coming weeks.
The reasons behind Lemon’s unexpected decision were not discussed.
In 104 games in the CFL, he completed 73 sacks and 176 tackles