Khalif Mitchell

Khalif Mitchell
No. --     Free Agent

Khalif Mitchell at the 49ers Family Day 2009
Date of birth (1985-04-07) April 7, 1985
Place of birth Virginia Beach, Virginia
Career information
Status Active
CFL status International
Position(s) Defensive tackle
Height 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight 316 lb (143 kg)
College East Carolina
Career history
As player
2008–2009 San Francisco 49ers*
2010–2012 BC Lions
2013 Toronto Argonauts
2014 BC Lions
2015 Montreal Alouettes
2016 Saskatchewan Roughriders
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
CFL All-Star 2011, 2013
CFL East All-Star 2013
CFL West All-Star 2011
Awards Honorable Mention, All-Conference USA
Career stats

Khalif Quadree Mitchell (born April 7, 1985) is a professional Canadian football and American Football defensive tackle who was recently released from the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He has also been a member of the B.C.Lions, Toronto Argonauts and San Francisco 49ers. He was signed by the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2009 and released in 2010.

Professional career

NFL career

San Francisco 49ers

After going undrafted in the 2009 NFL Draft Mitchell spent 2 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers as a member of their practice roster.

CFL career

BC Lions

Mitchell was signed by the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League on September 21, 2010. He was added to the team's 46-man playing roster as a nose tackle, and activated to the team's 42-man game day roster against the Calgary Stampeders for September 25. With limited playing time in the 2010 CFL season Mitchell only recorded 6 tackles. In Mitchell's second year in the league he earned 2011 CFL All-Star honors with 33 tackles and 6 sacks. He re-signed with the BC Lions on January 16, 2012.[1]

Mitchell was suspended by the CFL on July 23, 2012, for two games without pay after he violently hyperextended the arm of Edmonton Eskimos offensive lineman Simeon Rottier.[2] After another game, the league also fined him an unspecified amount for making a number of throat-slashing gestures.[3]

Mitchell caused a controversy for what were understood as racist remarks offensive to people of Chinese descent that he made on Twitter regarding the 2012 US Presidential election debate between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.[4] Michell was suspended for one game for his remarks, and fined an undisclosed amount of money. His problems started when he tweeted "My Teamate said who I think Won the debate. I said the American Ppl. Cause if they watched carefully BOTH OF THEM Hide Money with the Chinks". He later explained "So I Never knew "Chink" was racist. I def. meant no harm. I was referring to Obama & Romney putting their personal trust in Chinese Banks.".[5][6][7]

Toronto Argonauts

On April 2, 2013, the BC Lions traded Mitchell to the Toronto Argonauts for defensive end Adrian Awasom and the rights to an unnamed negotiation list player.[8] Not long after the trade Mitchell began voicing his displeasure with being traded to Toronto. He announced that he would not be attending the Argonauts training camp scheduled to begin on June 1, 2013. Mitchell wanted to be traded to Calgary or Edmonton, or have the trade between the Lions and Argos reversed and have the Lions release him. His future with the Argos was surrounded in uncertainty.[9]

Mitchell changed his mind and was present for mandatory training camp at the start of June 2013.[10] TSN sports reporter Farhan Lalji reported that Mitchell agreed to play the 2013 season with the Argos, under the condition that he be released following the season to pursue employment in the NFL.

Mitchell for the season played in 16 games, recording 32 tackles, five sacks (team high for the season) and one fumble recovery. He was named a CFL East All-Star and a CFL All-Star. On March 10, 2014, Mitchell was released by the Argos.[11]

BC Lions (II)

Despite rumors Mitchell would sign with an NFL franchise for the 2014 season, Mitchell signed a contract with the BC Lions of the CFL on May 6, 2014.[12] Mitchell did not have a significant impact on the Lions defense during the 2014 season. He finished the season with only 9 tackles and 1 sack. Following the season he was not re-signed by the Lions, and became a free-agent on February 10, 2015.

Montreal Alouettes

On February 18, 2015, Mitchell signed a 3-year contract with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.[13]

On May 13, 2015, between mini-camp and training camp, Mitchell re-tweeted a holocaust denial video on his Twitter account. The following day Mitchell was fined for this by the Montreal Alouettes (the “maximum allowable” fine) and Canadian Football League (an undisclosed amount).[4][14][15] He later apologized for his actions. On June 19, 2015 Mitchell was released by the Alouettes.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On August 31, 2016, midway through the 2016 CFL season Mitchell signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders as a practice squad member.[16] That same day the CFL commissioner said that the league will monitor Khalif Mitchell's online behaviour, and anything it deems inappropriate “will result in his immediate dismissal.” [17] On September 12, he was released from the team.

Anti-semitic tweets

While a free agent In 2016, Mitchell had once again re-tweeted a variety of anti-semitic conspiratorial tweets suggesting, among other things, that "Soviet Jews murdered 20 million Eastern Europeans" and that the "Islamic State is really a Zionist controlled terrorist organization run by Jew Tel Aviv [sic]".[18]

References

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