Patrice Rene


Patrice Rene is a Haitian professional Canadian football defensive back for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League.

Early life

Rene was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to parents Marie and Pierre and has three brothers and one sister. His family later moved to Ottawa, Ontario, where he grew up. Rene played his high school football at Episcopal High School in Virginia where he played for head coach Panos Voulgaris.

College career

Rene originally committed to playing for the Rutgers [Scarlet Knights football|Rutgers Scarlet Knights] in 2016, but changed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after Rutgers underwent a coaching change prior to his arrival. He played college football for the Tar Heels from 2016 to 2020, while using a redshirt season in 2019 due to an ACL injury. He played in 45 games, starting in 26, where he had 103 total tackles, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.
After finishing his degree, Rene transferred to Rutgers University, as he originally intended, to complete a master's degree. While playing for the Scarlet Knights, he dressed in five games and recorded eight tackles.

Professional career

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Rene was drafted in the third round, 21st overall, by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2021 CFL draft. However, he completed his college eligibility that year and signed with the team for the following season on May 4, 2022. Following training camp in 2022, he began the season on the team's practice roster. He then made his professional debut in Week 12, on August 25, 2022, against the Calgary Stampeders, but was injured on a kickoff and was out for the remainder of the season. He was later released shortly after the end of the season on December 2, 2022.

BC Lions

On May 5, 2023, Rene signed with the BC Lions. He made the team's opening day active roster in 2023, primarily playing on special teams. He played in 16 regular season games where he recorded 12 special teams tackles. Rene earned a starting defensive role for BC in 2024, and recorded his first career sack on Edmonton Elks quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson on June 27, 2024. In 17 regular season games, Rene recorded 36 defensive tackles and 14 special teams tackles. On December 28, 2024, Rene signed a two-year contract extension with BC.