The Calgary Stampeders have suspended Tommylee Lewis after he didn’t return to the team following a recent bye week. TSN reported that Lewis is expecting the birth of a child.
The 30-year-old dressed for 10 games with the club and made five starts at field-side wide receiver. He signed with the club in January after spending nearly seven years on the team’s negotiation list, which is an unusually long time for a non-quarterback. He started the year on the practice squad after missing the preseason due to a hamstring injury.
Lewis made 18 receptions for 139 yards and one touchdown and returned 49 punts for 645 yards for an average of 13.2 yards, which ranks second league-wide behind Toronto Argonauts’ return specialist Javon Leake. He also brought back 15 kickoffs for 348 yards.
The five-foot-seven, 168-pound target originally signed with the New Orleans Saints after going unselected in the 2016 NFL Draft. He dressed for 39 games over four seasons with the team, recording 21 receptions for 257 yards and two touchdowns, nine carries for 49 yards, 45 punt returns for 404 yards, and 27 kickoff returns for 617 yards.
The 30-year-old joined the Miami Dolphins as a free agent in 2021 and played two games with the team, making one reception for seven yards, three punt returns for four yards, and one kickoff return for 23 yards. He was also a member of the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers, though he never dressed for either team in a regular season game.
The Stampeders (5-11) are scheduled to visit the B.C. Lions (12-5) on Friday, Oct. 20 with kickoff slated for 10:00 p.m. EDT. Calgary can clinch a playoff berth with a win, provided the Saskatchewan Roughriders lose to Toronto on Saturday. If Calgary loses to B.C. and the Riders beat the Argonauts, Saskatchewan will clinch the final spot in the postseason.
