THE CANADIAN PRESS
Canadian running back Clifton Dawson has been released by the Indianapolis Colts.
The five-foot-10, 212-pound Toronto native was entering his second season with Indianapolis. But when Dawson arrived at camp he found a surplus of running backs on the Colts roster looking to become the club’s backup behind incumbent Joseph Addai.
Former CFL star Kenton Keith also returned for his second season with the Colts, who also re-signed Dominic Rhodes in the off-season and drafted former Michigan star Mike Hart.
Barring injury, Addai and Rhodes are expected to fill the top two spots at running back. They helped lead the Colts to a Super Bowl title two years ago.
Keith, a former Saskatchewan Roughrider, was Addai’s backup last year. But he ran into legal troubles in April when he was arrested on a charge of criminal trespassing after allegedly refusing to leave a nightclub parking lot.
The Colts released Dawson prior to their 23-20 exhibition overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers on Saturday night.
Dawson signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent following the 2007 NFL draft. He was among the club’s final cuts but ended up signing with the Cincinnati Bengals.
He was released by Cincinnatl shortly afterwards but re-signed with the Colts two days later. Dawson appeared in 13 games with Indianapolis and the Bengals last season.
The Toronto Argonauts own Dawson’s CFL rights.
Dawson started 39 of 40 games at Harvard and finished his college career as the Ivy League’s all-time leading rusher with 4,841 yards. He also is first overall in career rushing touchdowns (60), career touchdowns (66), career points (398) and career all-purpose yards (6,138).
Dawson was a unanimous first-team All-Ivy League selection as a freshman, becoming the first league player to earn the honour. He finished with 1,187 yards rushing that season, the first Ivy League freshman to run for more than 1,000 yards.
Two Canadians remain on the Colts training camp roster. Offensive lineman Dan Federkeil, a native of Medicine Hat., Alta., is entering his third season with the NFL club while receiver Sam Giguere of Sherbrooke, Que., an `08 first-round pick of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, is trying to crack the lineup as a rookie receiver-kick returner.
