The Minnesota Vikings have signed former Gopher linebacker Simoni Lawrence.
Lawrence, a defensive captain for the Gophers in his senior season of 2009, has bounced around NFL practice squads, four to be exact, but never played a game in the league, most recently appearing on an NFL roster in Tampa Bay before missing the last round of cuts in 2011.
Since, Lawrence has played in the UFL and most recently for the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The 25-year-old U of M alum is undersized for a linebacker at just 228 lbs., but his athleticism has kept him around professional football.
In August of 2013, Lawrence was the subject of a City Pages article chastising him for lack of payment in a car accident five months earlier, though there has not been a follow-up or resolution from the outlet regarding the issue.
Here’s a look at what Lawrence brings to the field.
