Simoni Lawrence (born February 1, 1989) is an American-born Canadian football linebacker for the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Minnesota.

Professional career

St. Louis Rams

Lawrence was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent on April 26, 2010, but was released one month later.

Hartford Colonials/Philadelphia Eagles

Lawrence was then drafted by the Hartford Colonials 22nd overall in the

2010 UFL Draft The 2010 UFL Draft was the second draft of the United Football League. The draft took place on Wednesday, June 2, beginning at 7 p.m. EDT. The draft was held over a period of 12 rounds during which each of the five UFL teams was allowed one pick ...

on June 2, 2010, but signed with the Philadelphia Eagles on June 8. He was part of the Eagles' final cuts on August 28 and joined the Colonials instead, playing in eight games for the team.

Chicago Bears

After the conclusion of the

2010 UFL season The 2010 United Football League season was the second season of the United Football League. The regular season ran from September 18 to November 20 and featured five teams playing eight games each (twice against each of the other teams) over a 10 ...

, he signed with the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

on December 14, 2010 and spent three weeks on the team's practice roster.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

He then joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 30, 2010 and participated in the team's training camp for the 2011 season. However, he was released on September 3, 2011.

Las Vegas Locomotives

Lawrence played in the UFL for the Las Vegas Locomotives in 2011.

Edmonton Eskimos

Lawrence signed with the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

of the Canadian Football League on January 10, 2012, playing in 15 games and starting one. Over the course of the season Lawrence contributed 15 tackles, 11 special teams tackles and 1 fumble recovery.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

During the following off-season, he was traded to the

with Greg Wojt and Jeremiah Masoli for

Nathan Kanya Nathan Kanya (born October 17, 1984 is a professional Canadian football linebacker who is currently retired. After finishing his CIS career with the UBC Thunderbirds in Vancouver BC, he signed as an undrafted free agent In professional sports, ...

and the rights to

Carson Rockhill Carson Giovanni Rockhill (born June 30, 1990) is a former Canadian football offensive guard who played one season in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He was selected by the Tiger-Cats in the 2nd round (13th overall) ...

on February 5, 2013. In his first season with the Ti-Cats Lawrence made an immediate impact, amassing 53 tackles, 3 special teams tackles, 1 quarterback sack, and 3 interceptions.

Minnesota Vikings

On February 10, 2014, Lawrence signed with the Minnesota Vikings. He was released on May 13, 2014.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (II)

As a free-agent Lawrence signed with the

, agreeing to a three-year contract on June 1, 2014. In

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, Lawrence played in 16 of the 18 regular season games, and both playoff games en route to the team's second consecutive trip to the

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

(the Ti-Cats lost both championship appearances). He led the team in tackles in that season, with 78; while adding 3 sacks, 2 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery. Lawrence continued his stellar play into the 2015 season, accumulating 78 tackles, 5 sacks and 2 interceptions. His performance on the field was recognized when he was named a CFL All-Star. In his fourth season with the Ti-Cats Lawrence set a career-high with 89 tackles, while also contributing 4 sacks and 1 interception for a touchdown. On January 11, 2017 Lawrence and the Ti-Cats agreed to a two-year contract extension. On February 11, 2019, Lawrence signed a two-year extension with the Tiger-Cats. Lawrence was suspended for two games by the CFL for his hit to the head of Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Zach Collaros in his team's 2019 season opener. During Week 14, Lawrence was fined by the CFL for uneccessary roughness, when he twisted Terry Williams' ankle. In Week 15, Lawrence was fined the maximum amount under the CBA for a late hit to the head of Eskimos quarterback Logan Kilgore. On September 30, 2019, Lawrence set a new CFL record for defensive tacles in a single game with 17 made, surpassing

Reggie Hunt Reggie Hunt (born October 14, 1977) is a former professional gridiron football linebacker. He most recently played for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Scottish Claymores as a street free agent in 2001. H ...

's previous record of 16. For the 2019 season, he played in 15 regular season games and led the league in defensive tackles with a career-high 98, to go along with three interceptions and four quarterback sacks. For his dominant season, he was named the East Division's Most Outstanding Defensive Player and a CFL All-Star. On January 19, 2021, it was announced that Lawrence had signed a contract extension with the Tiger-Cats.

References

External links

Just Sports StatsHamilton Tiger-Cats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Simoni 1989 births Living people African-American players of American football African-American players of Canadian football American football linebackers Canadian football linebackers Edmonton Elks players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Hartford Colonials players Las Vegas Locomotives players Minnesota Golden Gophers football players People from Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania Sportspeople from Delaware County, Pennsylvania 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people