Two More Hartford Colonials Sign NFL Contracts
December 15, 2010 - United Football League (UFL 1)
Hartford Colonials News Release
Offensive lineman Colin Brown, who spent the 2010 United Football League season with the Hartford Colonials, has signed with the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was signed off the Baltimore Ravens practice squad onto Buffalo's 53-man roster.
Also, Colonials linebacker Simoni Lawrence was signed to the Chicago Bears practice squad. The Colonials have had nine players sign NFL contracts, the most by any UFL team since its regular season ended Nov. 20.
Brown is the fourth Colonials player to be signed to an NFL active roster. He joins running back Lorenzo Booker (Minnesota Vikings), and safeties Emanuel Cook (New York Jets) and Quintin Demps (Houston Texans). The others, including Lawrence, were signed to NFL practice squads with the hope of being added to the active roster in the future.
"The UFL taught me how to be a professional because of the way Coach [Chris] Palmer ran the program," Lawrence said. "The UFL was good competition, especially going against players like Lorenzo Booker in practice."
Lawrence led the UFL with 35 unassisted tackles and his 48 total tackles were tied for second in the league. He also had one tackle that was not registered on the stat sheet.
During the Oct. 30th game at Sacramento, Lawrence was in pursuit of Mountain Lions running back John David Washington, the son of Oscar winning actor Denzel Washington. As Washington crossed the goal line, Lawrence unintentionally knocked down John David Washington's mother, Pauletta, as she was cheering along the end zone sideline. The video clip was shown on "The Late Show with David Letterman" with Denzel Washington as a guest.
Lawrence, 21, signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota, where he was All Big-Ten Honorable Mention as a senior. After being released by St. Louis, he signed with the Eagles in June and appeared in three preseason games. Upon being released by Philadelphia, Lawrence joined the Colonials, who selected him in the fifth round of the UFL draft in June.
Brown was a fifth-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009 after a collegiate career at Missouri. He has played in six preseason games with the Chiefs but hasn't appeared in a regular season game.
Hartford Colonials players signed by NFL teams following the UFL regular season
PLAYER TRANSACTION DATE
OL Colin Brown Signed to Baltimore practice squad Nov. 23
DE Derek Walker Signed to Seattle practice squad Nov. 24
OT Jacob Bender Signed to Washington practice squad Nov. 24
RB Lorenzo Booker Signed to Minnesota 53-man roster Dec. 7
TE Tyson DeVree Signed to Cleveland practice squad Dec. 7
S Quintin Demps Signed to Houston 53-man roster Dec. 7
WR Pat Carter Signed to Miami practice squad Dec. 8
S Emanuel Cook Signed to Jets 53-man roster Dec. 8
LB Simoni Lawrence Signed to Chicago practice squad Dec. 15
OL Colin Brown Signed to Buffalo 53-man roster (off Ravens PS) Dec. 15
United Football League Stories from December 15, 2010
- More UFL to NFL Signings - Florida Tuskers
- Two More Hartford Colonials Sign NFL Contracts - Hartford Colonials
- Former Tuskers Standout Ratliff Signs With Bengals - Florida Tuskers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
