Lemon isn’t sour about his time in Regina
CFL star loves to stir things up, though
Shawn Lemon joked on Twitter the other day about hiring a security detail to accompany him to CFL Week in Regina.
As it turns out, the 6-foot-2, 251-pounder stepped off the plane by himself Monday night at Regina International Airport.
“I think I should be good,” the Toronto Argonauts defensive end said as he surveyed the abundance of green attire in the baggage hall. “They really won’t say anything unless it’s on social media. That’s always the way it is. They’ll ask, ‘Why did you leave?’ but it’s obvious why I left.”
Lemon, 28, lasted just one game with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2016 after signing a $170,000 contract, including an $85,000 signing bonus. Through training camp, the big-name free agent fell out of favour with head coach/general manager Chris Jones and ended up third on the depth chart at rush end.
Lemon requested a trade. The Riders shipped him to Toronto with a conditional draft pick for national offensive lineman Matt Sewell and international quarterback Mitchell Gale.
The divorce sits just fine with Lemon, who figures some guys are better fits in bigger markets.
In a season to forget for the Argos, Lemon sacked the quarterback 14 times.
“I’m happy the Riders traded me to a place that I love now,” Lemon said. “I can’t get mad at those guys. I love Toronto. There’s always something going on in the city. I can get good food after practice every day.”
Apparently, that wasn’t always the case in the Queen City.
“Everything was closed at 6 p.m.,” Lemon said with a chuckle.
Lemon says he loves to stir things up on social media. In February he infuriated the folks in Saskatchewan by sending a public message on Twitter to offensive lineman Derek Dennis, who signed with the Riders.
“Congrats on making the biggest mistake of your life,” Lemon wrote.
Predictably, Lemon was soon trending in Regina.
“Sometimes I instigate some stuff on Twitter,” Lemon said. “And I get them all chirping at me. But I know it’s all love.”
Lemon regularly chirps at other big names in the CFL, including Calgary defensive end Charleston Hughes (who holds the sack title) and ferocious Hamilton linebacker Simoni Lawrence.
“Lemon’s a good player, and when someone is a very good player and they talk, I feel like it means more than from somebody who has played like one game,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence and Lemon share the belief that banter on social media can only help grow Canadian football.
“This keeps fans intrigued and interested in the season coming up,” Lemon said.
In Regina, that intrigue and interest is a given.