No. 38 – Toronto Argonauts | |||
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Position: | Defensive back | ||
Personal information | |||
Born: | Titusville, Florida, U.S. | August 14, 1995||
Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||
Career information | |||
High school: |
Astronaut (Titusville, Florida) | ||
College: | Florida Tech | ||
Undrafted: | 2019 | ||
Career history | |||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||
Roster status: | Suspended | ||
CFL status: | American | ||
Career highlights and awards | |||
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Career NFL statistics | |||
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Player stats at NFL.com · CFL.ca |
Justin Tyler "J. T." Hassell (born August 14, 1995) is an American football player who is a defensive back for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Hassell played college football at Florida Tech. He has also been a member of the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots and New York Jets.
Hassell was born with only two fingers on his left hand due to a deformity. He grew up in Titusville, Florida and attended Titusville High School before transferring to Astronaut High School. [1]
Hassell began his collegiate career at South Dakota State. He started all 14 of the Jackrabbits games at linebacker as a true freshman and recorded 41 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack and an interception. [2] Hassell played in 12 games as a sophomore with 21 tackles. Following the end of the season, he decided to transfer to the Division II Florida Institute of Technology in order to be closer to his family. [3]
After sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules, Hassell led the Panthers and finished fifth in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) with 78 tackles and was named second-team all-conference as a redshirt junior. As a redshirt senior, he made 124 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks for 34 yards and three forced fumbles and was named first-team All-GSC and the conference Defensive Player of the Year, as well as a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and the D2CCA, and a second-team All-American by the Associated Press. [4]
Hassell signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent on May 3, 2019. [5] He was waived at the end of final roster cuts, but was re-signed to the Browns' practice squad on September 1, 2019. [6] Hassell was promoted to the Browns' active roster on November 20, 2019. [7] He made his NFL debut on November 24, 2019 against the Miami Dolphins, playing nine snaps on special teams and making two tackles in a 41-24 win while also becoming the first Florida Tech player to appear in an NFL regular season game. [8] [1] In his rookie season Hassell played in four games with seven tackles. [9]
Hassell was waived by the Browns on September 3, 2020. [10]
On November 30, 2020, Hassell was signed to the New England Patriots practice squad. [11] He was released on December 8. [12]
On December 11, 2020, Hassell was signed to the New York Jets' active roster. [13] Against the Los Angeles Rams on December 20, 2020, he blocked a punt in the second quarter of the game. [14] On August 31, 2021, Hassell was waived by the Jets. [15]
Hasell signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League (CFL) on September 6, 2022. [16] He was released by the team on October 12, 2022. [17] Hasell played in four games, recording two special teams tackles.
On January 4, 2023, it was announced that Hassell had been signed by the Toronto Argonauts. [18]
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