OTTAWA - The Ottawa REDBLACKS of the Canadian Football League have added versatile veteran Canadian wide receiver Paris Jackson to the team roster.
The 33-year-old native of Vancouver played 11 seasons in the CFL with his hometown B.C. Lions. Jackson (6-3, 215) has 420 career regular-season receptions for 5,757 yards and 31 touchdowns.
He has also been successful in the playoffs, with 47 catches in 15 playoff games. The Lions won Grey Cups in 2006 and 2009 with Jackson on the roster. In 2006, Jackson had two touchdown catches in the West Final and five receptions for 65 yards in the Grey Cup win over Montreal.
In 2008, Jackson had surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in a season for the first time in his career (1,180 on 76 catches), scored eight touchdowns, and was named to the CFL West Division All-Star squad, along with the distinction of being the Lions' nominee for the league's Most Outstanding Canadian award.
Jackson followed with another 1,000-yard receiving season in 2009, catching 76 passes for 1,042 and eight majors.
In college, Jackson attended Butte College in California before transferring to the University of Utah.
He was selected sixth overall in the 2003 CFL Canadian Draft by the Lions.
Apparently, the B.C. Lions found something to dislike. The barely used him over the past couple of years, as the statistical drop demonstrates.
Name Years No. Yards TD
JACKSON, P 2003 6 85 0
JACKSON, P 2004 10 138 0
JACKSON, P 2005 48 617 4
JACKSON, P 2006 51 634 4
JACKSON, P 2007 65 962 5
JACKSON, P 2008 76 1,180 8
JACKSON, P 2009 76 1,042 8
JACKSON, P 2010 61 758 1
JACKSON, P 2011 7 117 1
JACKSON, P 2012 10 127 0
JACKSON, P 2013 10 97 0
What happened there is a bit of a mystery. Interestingly, Jackson either re-signed or extended his deal a couple of times during those last few years so clearly he still wanted to be a part of the club. A blog entry in The Province (written by Lowell Ullrich) from last month, shortly after Jackson was released by the Lions, touches on it somewhat.
The 33-year-old was granted his release by the Lions, marking an end of sorts and the start of another. Jackson was the first player drafted by Wally Buono when the new regime arrived in 2003, and for the first two-thirds of his tenure had the kind of career any Canadian kid could be proud of when it ultimately comes to a close.
The Carson Graham grad had two, 1,000-yard seasons, in 2008-09, but all through his stay grew with the Lions physically and mentally. For outsiders, it was refreshing to see a boy grow into a man. A hothead at some points, a leader at others, Jackson did as he was asked, blossoming as a physically gifted receiver at his peak.
The last three seasons was nothing short of an embarrassment, as the Lions both marginalized his role in the offence and cut his salary. But for the most part, Jackson stayed silent, understanding from watching others over the years how to make a contribution on the field when called upon and act in the locker room.
Well, if nothing else he can teach Kevin Glenn how to act professionally then.
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