On Thursday, Edmonton Elks offensive lineman Matt O’Donnell announced his retirement after a nine-year career.
Matt O’Donnell (32-years-old) played 14 games in 2021 and 130 career games, all with Edmonton, including winning the 2015 Grey Cup championship.
“To all my teammates, coaches, athletic therapists, trainers, equipment, and support staff over the years — I want to truly thank you for being there for me and each other. I had the luxury of crossing paths with some of the greatest people I’ve come to call friends here in this building. A list too long and distinguished to name everyone verbatim.” O’Donnell said.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders drafted O’Donnell in the second round (15th pick) in the 2011 CFL Draft out of Queen’s University.
At Queen’s, O’Donnell was part of the 45th Vanier Cup championship team. In 2009 and 2010, O’Donnell was selected CIS All-Canadian First-Team.
Instead of heading to the Roughriders, Matt O’Donnell signed with the Cincinnati Bengals and had two stints (2011-12, 2015) on their practice squad. He also had interests in the NBA’s Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors. In 2012, the Roughriders traded O’Donnell to Edmonton.
In addition to winning a Grey Cup title, O’Donnell was selected a 2017 CFL All-Star and a two-time CFL West All-Star (2017, 2019).
