Tony Washington (born February 17, 1986) is a

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

who is currently a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He most recently played for the

Edmonton Elks 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 The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL).

Early life

On May 9, 2003, Washington pleaded guilty to prohibitive sexual conduct after having consensual sex with his sister, Caylen. At the time, he was 16, and she was 15. Washington was processed as an adult and put in jail; he was released after one month. As a result of the charge, he is a

registered sex offender A sex offender registry is a system in various countries designed to allow government authorities to keep track of the activities of sex offenders, including those who have completed their criminal sentences. In some jurisdictions, registration i ...

High school and college career

Washington played one year of high school football as a junior while living in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
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. That year, he was awarded with all-league honors as a member of the Alcée Fortier High School football team. His family moved to Texas after

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

struck New Orleans. After graduating from high school, Washington did not plan to attend college. He decided to go to college, however, after a

car salesman The automobile salesperson is one of many sales professions. The automobile salesman is a retail salesperson, who sells new or used cars. Unlike traditional retail sales, car sales are sometimes negotiable. Salesmen are employed by new car de ...

suggested he continue his football career. He then enrolled at

Trinity Valley Community College Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) is a public community college based in Athens, Texas. It has four campuses serving five counties across the southeast and eastern parts of the state. About TVCC operates four campuses serving the Texas co ...

Athens, Texas Athens is a city and the county seat of Henderson County, Texas, Henderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 12,857. The city has called itself the "black-eyed pea, Blac ...

. While at Trinity Valley, Washington was named to the 2007 all-Southwest Junior College Football Conference first team. Washington then attended

Abilene Christian University Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a Private university, private Churches of Christ, Christian university in Abilene, Texas. It was founded in 1906 as ''Childers Classical Institute''. ACU is one of the largest private universities in the Sout ...

, playing on the football team for two years. Both years he was voted the

Lone Star Conference The Lone Star Conference (LSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States, with schools in Tex ...

Offensive Lineman of the Year.

Professional career

Though Washington excelled at the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footb ...

workouts he was undrafted. He was very agile and quick for a lineman, running the

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

in 5.09 seconds. After leaving school, Washington played for the

Dallas Vigilantes The Dallas Vigilantes were an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Dallas, Texas. Like its AFL predecessor, the Dallas Desperados, the Vigilantes played at the American Airlines Center. The Vigilantes and the Jacksonville Sharks began play i ...

of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

(AFL) for two years before signing with the Calgary Stampeders in 2011. He was signed by the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

of the Canadian Football League on July 4, 2012, where he won his first Grey Cup. Washington was traded to 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 ...

from the Argos in May 2014. In his first three seasons in Edmonton he started in 48 games for the club, including the 2015 Grey Cup championship victory. Following the 2016 season Washington signed a contract extension with the Eskimos. He was released by Edmonton on August 7, 2017, and was immediately signed by 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 ...

. On July 22, 2018, Washington was traded with teammate

Landon Rice Landon Rice (born February 28, 1988) is a professional Canadian football offensive lineman for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played CIS football at the University of Manitoba and attended Crocus Plains Regional ...

to the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

in the blockbuster

Johnny Manziel Johnathan Paul Manziel ( ; born December 6, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the FCF Zappers of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) and was also a mem ...

deal. Washington re-signed with the Alouettes on a one-year contract extension on December 16, 2020. The

announced that they had traded for Washington on January 14, 2022. He was released on December 1, 2022.

References

External links

Edmonton Eskimos bio

Toronto Argonauts bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Tony 1986 births Living people Alcee Fortier High School alumni Abilene Christian Wildcats football players Allen Wranglers players American football offensive linemen American players of Canadian football Calgary Stampeders players Canadian football offensive linemen Dallas Vigilantes players Edmonton Elks players Trinity Valley Cardinals football players Players of American football from New Orleans Players of Canadian football from New Orleans Toronto Argonauts players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players People convicted of incest Montreal Alouettes players