Justin Tyler "J. T." Hassell (born August 14, 1995) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

who is a free agent. Hassell played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at Florida Tech. He has been a member of the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

, and

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

Early life

Hassell was born with only two fingers on his left hand due to a deformity. He grew up in

Titusville, Florida Titusville is a city in and the county seat of Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 48,789, up from 43,761 at the 2010 census. Titusville is located along the ...

and attended

Titusville High School Titusville High School is part of the Brevard Public Schools System. It is located at 150 Terrier Trail South, Titusville, Florida. History In 1927, Titusville High School was founded at the current location, the first building devoted solely t ...

before transferring to Astronaut High School.

College career

Hassell began his collegiate career at

South Dakota State South Dakota State University (SDSU or SD State) is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota, United States. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest university and is the second oldest continually operating universit ...

. 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. 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 Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech or FIT) is a private research university in Melbourne, Florida. The university comprises four academic colleges: Engineering & Science, Aeronautics, Psychology & Liberal Arts, and Business. Approxim ...

in order to be closer to his family. After sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules, Hassell led the Panthers and finished fifth in the

Gulf South Conference The Gulf South Conference (GSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the Southeastern United States. History Originally known as the ...

(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.

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

Hassell signed with the

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on May 3, 2019. He was waived at the end of final roster cuts, but was re-signed to the Browns' practice squad on September 1, 2019. Hassell was promoted to the Browns' active roster on November 20, 2019. He made his NFL debut on November 24, 2019 against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

, 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. In his rookie season Hassell played in four games with seven tackles. Hassell was waived by the Browns on September 3, 2020.

New England Patriots

On November 30, 2020, Hassell was signed to the

practice squad. He was released on December 8.

New York Jets

On December 11, 2020, Hassell was signed to the

' active roster. Against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

on December 20, 2020, he blocked a punt in the second quarter of the game. On August 31, 2021, Hassell was waived by the Jets.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Hasell signed with the

in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL) on September 6, 2022. He was released by the team on October 12, 2022. Hasell played in four games, recording two special teams tackles.

Toronto Argonauts

On January 4, 2023, it was announced that Hassell had been signed by the

. He was moved to the practice roster on June 3, and placed on the reserve/suspended list on July 24, 2023.

References

External links

Toronto Argonauts bioSouth Dakota State Jackrabbits bioFlorida Tech bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hassell, J. T. 1995 births Living people Astronaut High School alumni Cleveland Browns players Florida Tech Panthers football players New England Patriots players New York Jets players Sportspeople from Titusville, Florida Players of American football from Brevard County, Florida South Dakota State Jackrabbits football players Titusville High School alumni Toronto Argonauts players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players American football defensive backs Canadian football defensive backs Players of Canadian football from Florida