Jeffrey Finley (born November 19, 1991) is a Canadian former 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 lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line (D ...

who played 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). He was drafted by the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

in the third round of the 2014 CFL Draft. He played

CIS football U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports, Canada's governing body for university sports. Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athlet ...

Guelph University The University of Guelph (abbreviated U of G) is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald Institute (1903), an ...

and attended Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in

St. Catharines St. Catharines is the most populous city in Canada's Niagara Region, the eighth largest urban area in the province of Ontario. As of 2021, St. Catharines has an area of and 136,803 residents. It lies in Southern Ontario, south of Toronto ac ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

University career

Finley played for the Guelph Gryphons from 2011 to 2013. He appeared in eight games in 2011, recording seven total tackles and one pass breakup. He started eight games for the team in 2012, accumulating 23 total tackles and 3.5. Finley played in the Gryphons' 42-39 overtime semi final victory over the Queen’s Gaels and in the

Yates Cup The Yates Cup () is a Canadian sports trophy, presented annually to the winner of the Ontario University Athletics football conference of U Sports. It is the oldest still-existing football trophy in North America, dating back to 1898 and surpassi ...

Final loss to the

McMaster Marauders The McMaster Marauders are the athletic teams that represent McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Athletics at McMaster is currently managed by the university's student affairs, under their athletics & recreation d ...

. He also played for Team West at the East West Bowl. He played in six games, all starts, for the Gryphons in 2013, totaling 14.5 tackles, 12 of which were solo, 5.5 sacks and one fumble recovery. Finley recorded 1.5 tackles in the Semi Final win over the

Windsor Lancers The Windsor Lancers are the varsity athletic teams that represent the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The school's varsity program supports 9 different sports. Their mascot is a lancer and the team's colours are blue and gold ...

. He accumulated three solo tackles and one sack in the Quarter Final loss against the Queen’s Gaels. He played in 23 games, including playoffs, during his college career, recording 54 tackles, 10.5 sacks, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. Finley studied Human Kinetics at Guelph.

Professional career

Finley was selected by the

with the 22nd pick in the 2014 CFL Draft. He played in nine games in 2014, totaling four defensive tackles and two special teams tackles. He recorded two sacks and one special team tackle in the team's two playoff games. Finley played in three games for the Alouettes during the 2015 season. On February 15, 2017, Finley signed with the

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 ...

as a free agent. In

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, he registered career high totals in games played (11), defensive tackles (14), and sacks (4). He dressed in both playoff games that year, earning his first

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

championship following the team's victory in the

105th Grey Cup The 105th Grey Cup was played on November 26, 2017, between the Calgary Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. In a re-match of the 100th Grey Cup, the Argonauts won the game 27–24, winning their 17th cham ...

game. On February 11, 2019 the Argonauts extended Finley's contract. He was set to become a free agent. However, he retired on April 30, 2019.

References

External links

Toronto Argonauts bioStats Crew profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finley, Jeffrey Living people 1991 births Canadian football defensive linemen Guelph Gryphons football players Montreal Alouettes players Players of Canadian football from Ontario Sportspeople from St. Catharines Toronto Argonauts players