Armond Armstead (born August 3, 1990) is a former defensive tackle for 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 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 ...

and the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. 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 ...

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

. He was signed by the Argonauts as an

undrafted 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 ...

in 2012.

High school football

Armstead played high school football at Pleasant Grove High in

Elk Grove, California Elk Grove is a city in Sacramento County, California, located just south of the state capital of Sacramento. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade– Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 Census, the population o ...

. His honors included Super Prep All-American, Prep Star All-American, Super Prep All-Farwest, Prep Star All-West, Long Beach ''

Press-Telegram The ''Press-Telegram'' is a paid daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Coverage area for the ''Press-Telegram'' includes Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Compton, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, Lynw ...

'' Best in the West honorable mention, Tacoma ''News Tribune'' Western 100, Cal-Hi Sports All-State first team, All-Northern California, ''Sacramento Bee'' All-Metro and All-Metro League MVP as a senior defensive and offensive lineman at Pleasant Grove High in Elk Grove (Calif.). He had 88 tackles and 11 sacks in 2007. As a junior in 2006, he had 79 tackles and 5 sacks.

College football

Armstead attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

, playing three seasons from 2008 to 2010, starting 17 games and recording 59 tackles.Pedro Moura
Armond Armstead sues USC
ESPNLosAngeles.com, August 30, 2012, accessed January 23, 2013. However after an initially undisclosed injury, USC's staff refused to medically clear him to play in 2011. He later sued the school, accusing team doctors of giving him painkillers ( Toradol) that caused a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

and damaged his future earning potential. He went undrafted in the

2012 NFL Draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

.Mike Reiss and Mike Rodak
Sources: Pats sign Armond Armstead
ESPNBoston.com, January 22, 2013, accessed January 23, 2013.

Professional football

Toronto Argonauts

In 2012, Armstead was signed by the

of the

. In his rookie CFL season, Armstead compiled 43 defensive tackles, 2 special teams tackles, and 6 quarterback sacks. He was also named as a CFL All-star, and went on to win the

100th Grey Cup The 100th Grey Cup was a Canadian football game between the East Division champion Toronto Argonauts and the West Division champion Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League to decide the Grey Cup champions of the 2012 season. The ga ...

with the Argonauts that season. On January 4, 2013, Armstead was released by the Argonauts per request in order to pursue an NFL career.

New England Patriots

On January 22, 2013, he signed with the New England Patriots. Per the terms of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Patriots were required to sign Armstead, an undrafted free agent, to a three-year deal at the standard salaries of $405,000 for 2013, $495,000 for 2014, and $585,000 in 2015. While the contract did not include a signing bonus, nearly half the contract was guaranteed: his entire salary for 2013 is guaranteed, and $250,000 of his 2014 salary. On July 29, 2013, Armstead underwent surgery to treat an undisclosed infection. On August 26, 2013, he was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list. On July 16, 2014, he announced his retirement from football at the age of 23.

References

External links

Toronto Argonauts bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstead, Armond 1990 births Living people American football defensive ends American football defensive tackles Canadian football defensive linemen Toronto Argonauts players USC Trojans football players Players of American football from Sacramento, California Players of Canadian football from Sacramento, California