Former Gators DB Brad Stewart Jr. Signs With CFL Team

Although it isn't in the NFL, former Florida Gators safety Brad Stewart Jr. has carved out a path to playing professional football by signing with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League, the team announced on Thursday.

The 6-foot, 195-pound defensive back went undrafted in May and did not sign with an NFL team as a free agent, despite showing promise throughout his four-year Gators career.

Making 42 appearances in orange and blue, including 20 starts, Stewart accumulated 126 tackles, 1.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, three interceptions, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

Stewart is memorialized in Florida Gators history for his walk-off, pick-six interception return against LSU in 2018, leading to an eruption of deafening cheer inside of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and resulted in a 27-19 UF victory.

Despite making memorable plays on the field during his time at UF, Stewart was suspended officially for two games in 2019 and was also held out of a game in 2018, rumored to have been suspended although head coach Dan Mullen refused to confirm any discipline at the time. At the beginning of the 2020 season, Stewart also missed two games for unspecified reasons.

Along with Stewart, the Tiger-Cats signed wide receiver Cam Phillips and defensive back Donovan Olumba. To make room for their latest additions, the Tiger-Cats released wide receivers Isaiah Burse and Kahlil Lewis as well as quarterback Austin Simmons.

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