The Winnipeg Blue Bombers released offensive lineman Larnel Coleman and wide receiver Abdul-Karim Gassama on Monday according to the CFL Transactions page.
Larnel Coleman is six foot six and weighs 310 pounds. The 25-year-old from Malden, Massachusetts, signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on March 18, 2024. He played in two preseason games and was placed on the practice squad on Sunday.
Before Winnipeg, Coleman was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the seventh round (231st pick) in the 2021 NFL Draft. He did not play in 2021 due to a knee injury. In 2022, he played one game for the Dolphins before spending time on their practice squad. However, Coleman signed with the Carolina Panthers on October 25, 2022. He was released by the Panthers on August 26, 2023, after playing three preseason games.
Coleman signed with the Houston Roughnecks (XFL) on December 13, 2023, but the original Roughnecks were not included in the XFL and USFL merger that formed the United Football League (UFL).
Instead, the Houston Gamblers (USFL) were rebranded as the Roughnecks. The Birmingham Stallions drafted Coleman in the 2024 UFL Dispersal Draft but released him on March 10, 2024.
Collegiately, Coleman played four seasons at the University of Massachusetts (2017-20) playing both tackle positions in 36 games for the Minutemen. In 2018, UMass ranked 14th in FBS in passing offense (298.1 yards per game), 16th in passing efficiency (153.91), and 34th in total offense (437.6 yards per game).
Abdul-Karim Gassama is five foot eleven and weighs 175 pounds. The 24-year-old from Winnipeg, Manitoba, was drafted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the sixth round (55th pick) in the 2024 CFL Draft. In a preseason game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Gassama made one catch for nine yards.
Collegiately, Gassama played five seasons at the University of Manitoba (2018-23) making 98 catches for 1,444 yards, 13 touchdowns, 26 carries for 179 yards, two kick returns for 19 yards, and 14 punt returns for 78 yards in 29 games for the Bisons.
