T. J. Lee
 Lee with the Lions in 2022 | |||||||
| No. 6 – BC Lions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive back | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | March 20, 1991 Houston, Texas, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Seattle (WA) West Seattle | ||||||
| College: | Eastern Washington | ||||||
| Undrafted: | 2014 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| CFL status: | American | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career CFL statistics | |||||||
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| Player stats at CFL.ca | |||||||
T. J. Lee III (born March 20, 1991) is an American professional Canadian football defensive back for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
College career
[edit]Lee played college football for the Eastern Washington Eagles from 2010 to 2013.[1] He played in 49 games where he recorded 182 tackles, four interceptions, and seven forced fumbles.[1]
Professional career
[edit]Lee signed with the BC Lions on May 22, 2014.[2] In his first season with the Lions Lee played in 8 games and contributed 24 tackles, 1 interception and 2 forced fumbles. He had a breakout season in 2015 when he played in 17 games and totaled 80 tackles, three sacks and four interceptions. Lee missed most of the 2016 season after suffering an Achilles injury in late July.[3] He was re-signed by the Lions only days before hitting the open market as a free agent in February 2017.[4] Lee returned to a prominent role within the Lions defense in 2017, playing in 15 games, contributing 49 tackles, and four interceptions.[1]
Lee was once again re-signed to a contract extension before becoming a free agent in February 2018.[5] He became a CFL All-Star in 2018 with 81 tackles, three interceptions, two forced fumbles, and one touchdown.[6] In 2019, he was the BC Lions Most Outstanding Defensive Player after contributing with 66 defensive tackles, six special teams tackles, four interceptions, and one forced fumble.[7]
Lee returned to the Lions following the cancelled 2020 season and played in all 14 regular season games in the shortened 2021 season.[1] He was once again a major component of the team, amassing 71 defensive tackles, 12 special teams tackles, four interceptions and one forced fumble.[1] On January 11, 2022, he signed another contract extension with the Lions.[8] On July 29, 2022, Lee played in his 100th regular season game, in a match against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.[1][9] On January 25, 2023, Lee signed a two-year contract extension with the Lions.[10] Lee was named a CFL All-Star in 2023, for the second time of his career.[11] During the 2023 Western Final, Lee suffered a second Achilles injury (this time on his other leg) causing him to miss BC's first six games of the 2024 season.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "T. J. Lee". BC Lions. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ "T.J. Lee III Gets His Professional Opportunity with the B.C. Lions - Eastern Washington University Athletics". www.goeags.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014.
- ^ "Lions lose starting halfback T.J. Lee". Vancouver Sun. July 18, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
- ^ "Lions re-sign DB Lee, add DL Ainsworth - Article - TSN". TSN. February 10, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
- ^ "Lions re-sign DB Lee for 2018 - Article - TSN". TSN. January 16, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ^ "2018 CFL ALL-STARS ANNOUNCED". press.cfl.ca. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ^ "CFL announces 2019 team award winners". October 30, 2019.
- ^ "Veteran DB T.J. Lee extends with the Lions". CFL.ca. January 11, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ^ "100 Career Games And Counting For Ageless Veteran TJ Lee". BC Lions. July 24, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ^ "Two More For TJ - Veteran DB Signs Through 2024 Season". CFL.ca. January 25, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ "STARS OF THE SHOW: 2023 CFL All-Stars, Fan Favourite Unveiled". CFL. November 8, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Adams, J.J. (July 20, 2024). "'I'm not typical': T.J. Lee makes an early return to the B.C. Lions' lineup". The Province. Retrieved July 24, 2024.