Lions rookie DE Ahmed Hassanein made an unexpected appearance on the NFL official transactions report on Friday. Hassanein was part of the four Detroit draftees who signed ahead of the rookie minicamp, but that wasn’t the only entry.
Hassanein was listed as an international player exemption by the NFL. That means he doesn’t count against the 90-man roster limit.
While Hassanein is of Egyptian lineage, he is an American born in California. He moved to Egypt when he was six and stayed in Africa until he was 16. Hassanein then came back to the US and graduated from high school in Anaheim, California. The DE played collegiately at Boise State.
Normally the international player designation is given only to players born abroad or took up football overseas, neither of which is the case for Hassanein. The exemption allows Detroit to add an extra player to the roster.
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