Justin Cox

Justin Cox (born December 9, 1992) is a former Canadian football safety. He was most recently a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He attended West Point High School in Mississippi. He played collegiate football for two seasons at East Mississippi Community College before enrolling at Mississippi State for two more years.[1]

Justin Cox
Personal information
Born: (1992-12-09) December 9, 1992
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:187 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High school:West Point (MS)
College:Mississippi State
Position:Defensive back
Undrafted:2015
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only

College career

Cox was a reserve cornerback in 2013 season with Mississippi, in which he recorded 31 tackles and an interception in the Bulldog's overtime Egg Bowl victory over Ole Miss. Cox was the starting safety for the Bulldogs in 2014. He did not play in the final three games after being arrested for burglary and domestic violence.[2] The charge was dropped when Cox pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge of trespassing with the domestic violence charge being dropped at victim's request.[3][4]

Professional career

Kansas City Chiefs

Cox went undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft, but signed a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs soon after.[5]

Saskatchewan Roughriders

About 10 months after his release by the Chiefs Cox signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in May 2016. In his first year in the CFL Cox played in 15 games contributing 42 tackles, 2 special teams tackles, 4 interceptions and 1 forced fumble. He missed the final 3 games of the season with an undisclosed injury. For his contributions he was named the team's Rookie of the Year. Following the season, on December 8, 2016, Cox and the Roughriders agreed to a 2-year contract extension, keeping him with the Riders through 2018.[6][7]

In the off-season, on April 19, 2017, news broke that Cox had been involved in an incident involving domestic violence. In response the Riders announced that they had released Cox, and CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge stated that the league would not allow any other CFL team to sign him.[8] On May 29, 2017 the provincial court of Saskatchewan determined that Cox was found not guilty of assault causing bodily harm.[9] Despite this, the CFL has stated that it will not allow Cox to play in the league, and the Riders stated that they would not welcome him back even if he was allowed to play by the CFL administration.[10]

References
  1. "Justin Cox - Saskatchewan Roughriders". Saskatchewan Roughriders. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  2. Chip Patterson (November 21, 2014). "Mississippi State DB Justin Cox suspended indefinitely after arrest". CBS Sports. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  3. Brandon Walker (January 31, 2015). "Starting over: MSU's Cox looks to rebuild career". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  4. "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Justin Cox". NFL.com. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  5. "Justin Cox". HailState.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  6. "Riders extend top rookie Cox through 2018". CFL.ca. December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  7. "Roughriders sign DB Justin Cox to contract extension". Regina Leader-Post. December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  8. "Roughriders release Cox after domestic violence incident - Article - TSN". TSN. April 19, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  9. "Former Roughrider Justin Cox found not guilty of assault". CBC News. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  10. Soluducha, Alex (May 30, 2017). "Roughriders, CFL won't welcome Justin Cox back". CBC News.
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