J. T. Hassell
Justin Tyler "J. T." Hassell is an American professional football defensive back. Hassell played college football at Florida Tech. He has been a member of the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and Toronto Argonauts
Early life
Hassell was born with only two fingers on his left hand due to a deformity. He grew up in Titusville, Florida and attended Titusville High School before transferring to Astronaut High School.College career
Hassell began his collegiate career at South Dakota State. He started all 14 of the Jackrabbits games at linebacker as a true freshman and recorded 41 tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack and an interception. Hassell played in 12 games as a sophomore with 21 tackles. Following the end of the season, he decided to transfer to the Division II Florida Institute of Technology in order to be closer to his family.After sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules, Hassell led the Panthers and finished fifth in the Gulf South Conference with 78 tackles and was named second-team all-conference as a redshirt junior. As a redshirt senior, he made 124 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks for 34 yards and three forced fumbles and was named first-team All-GSC and the conference Defensive Player of the Year, as well as a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and the D2CCA, and a second-team All-American by the Associated Press.
Professional career
Cleveland Browns
Hassell signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent on May 3, 2019. He was waived at the end of final roster cuts, but was re-signed to the Browns' practice squad on September 1, 2019. Hassell was promoted to the Browns' active roster on November 20, 2019. He made his NFL debut on November 24, 2019 against the Miami Dolphins, playing nine snaps on special teams and making two tackles in a 41-24 win while also becoming the first Florida Tech player to appear in an NFL regular season game. In his rookie season Hassell played in four games with seven tackles.Hassell was waived by the Browns on September 3, 2020.