Lindley calls it a career

Zach Lindley

Chatham’s Zach Lindley announced his retirement from professional football via social media on Tuesday.

Lindley, 24, played the past two seasons in the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes. In his two years, Lindley stood out as a special teams ace, racing down the field on kickoffs and punts to make tackles.

An eighth-round draft pick of the Alouettes in 2022, Lindley was a longshot to make the Alouettes in his first season, but the team loved his football IQ and tenacity and added him to the roster even though he had two seasons of university football eligibility left.

Lindley was having another strong season with the Alouettes this past summer and fall, but his season was cut short after 11 games due to concussions. He was not cleared to play in the Grey Cup in November, a game Montreal won over Winnipeg.

“From being an (eighth) round pick to hoisting a Grey Cup is something I will cherish forever,” Lindley wrote in his retirement message on Instagram.

“Even though it may have been short lived, these were the best years of my life and I will not take any of it for granted.”

Prior to playing in the CFL, Lindley was an OUA all-star defender with the Western Mustangs.

He was a leader on the Western team that won the 2022 Vanier Cup.

Lindley played high school football for the Chatham-Kent Golden Hawks.