Long-Time Hamilton Tiger-Cats LB Simoni Lawrence Retires from CFL
The CFL is losing one of its best defensive players in recent memory to retirement. On Thursday, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats shared the news that veteran linebacker Simoni Lawrence will be retiring from football.
"Simoni embodies what it means to be a Hamilton Tiger-Cat," Tiger-Cats president Orlondo Steinauer said in a statement via TSN Thursday. "He was a fierce competitor in practice and on game days who will surely be remembered as one of the all-time greats. He has an infectious personality and a pure love for the game of football, which extended beyond the field of play where he was genuinely willing to give back consistently to the Hamilton community. It was an honour to see Simoni grow as a person and to see his relentless drive and hard work pay off as he achieved amazing things for over a decade. Congratulations, Simoni, on your Hall of Fame career.”
Lawrence spent the first two years of his professional career in the NFL and UFL in 2010 and 2011. He was on the St. Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL before making the move to the CFL.
After 11 seasons in the Canadian Football League, all-time great Tiger-Cats linebacker Simoni Lawrence announced his graduation from player to Brand and Community Ambassador with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
— Hamilton Tiger-Cats (@Ticats) February 15, 2024
Thank you, Simoni!
🗞️ | https://t.co/4pH0YLMPbd#TheGraduation21 pic.twitter.com/RamquBSypu
Edmonton signed him for the 2012 season, and he produced 26 total tackles and a fumble recovery in 15 games. He was traded to the Tiger-Cats in the offseason, where he would end up playing with the rest of his CFL career. Lawrence had a short stint with the Minnesota Vikings during the 2014 offseason but was released before minicamp.
The 35-year-old linebacker finishes his CFL career as the all-time leading tackler for Hamilton, posting 734 total tackles. He also owns the franchise record for defensive tackles (727) and single-game tackles (17). Lawrence was named a CFL All-Star in 2015, 2019 and 2021.
Hamilton named Lawrence as its new Brand and Community Ambassador for the Hamilton Sports Group to keep him close to the organization.
Lawrence leaves quite the legacy behind in the CFL and in Hamilton. Many expect him to be a future Hall of Famer. He will go down as one of the best linebackers to play the game and should be considered one of the best defenders in franchise history.
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Anthony Miller has been covering professional spring football since 2019 including XFL, USFL, and CFL. He was a local news reporter in Texas before transitioning to sports. Other sites he writes for includes College Football Network and NTZ Network.