Jamall Lee: Life At The Bottom Of The Heap

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Two hundred and fifty six names over two days, but Jamall Lee never heard his own.

In the five minutes after the Kansas City Chiefs made Ryan Succop 2009’s “Mr. Irrelevant,” Lee got an offer over the phone from the Carolina Panthers to sign as a free agent. One week later, Lee had another job. The British Columbia Lions selected the running back third overall in the Canadian Football League Draft.

Two jobs in one week? Not bad in this economy.

Now, it’s decision time for Lee. Does he stay with the Panthers buried on the depth chart by four other running backs as he competes against the best or does he play each day in the relative obscurity of the Canadian Football League? Perhaps, it’s not much of a decision at all.

"I'd love to make it here. The CFL is a great league and I'm very proud of the guys up there," Lee said, according to the website of the Carolina Panthers. "But right now this is where I want to be. [This] is where the quote-unquote best players are."

This decision is an unusual one for Lee. Born in British Columbia, Lee shirked an offer from Oregon State to enroll at a junior college and then transfer in later. Instead, Lee went to Bishop’s University in Quebec so he could play college football immediately.

No one can blame Lee for not wanting to wait, but he passed up the chance to play against USC and UCLA in the Pac-10 to play against Concordia University and Laval University in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport, a division of Canadian college athletics. Against these lesser teams, Lee averaged 6.75 yards per carry as he led the CIS for the second straight year with 1,093 rushing yards in 2008.

Had he played against tougher competition maybe he would have been a better prospect. For Lee that’s not worth thinking about. Simply having the chance to play in the NFL is worth it.

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