{{Short description|Canadian gridiron football player (born 1964)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Use Canadian English|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Tommy Kane | number = 81, 82 | position = Wide receiver | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|01|14}} | birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 11 | weight_lb = 180 | high_school = Dawson College (Montreal) | college = Syracuse | draftyear = 1988 | draftround = 3 | draftpick = 75 | pastteams = * Seattle Seahawks ({{NFL Year|1988|1992}}) * Toronto Argonauts ({{CFL Year|1994}}) |highlights = * First-team All-East (1987) | statlabel1 = Receptions | statvalue1 = 142 | statlabel2 = Receiving yards | statvalue2 = 2,034 | statlabel3 = Touchdowns | statvalue3 = 9 | pfr = KaneTo00 }}
'''Thomas Henry Kane''' (born January 14, 1964) is a Canadian former professional football player. He played for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL) for four years, and then for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL) for one year.
==Football career== Kane played college football at Syracuse University.
'''NFL'''
A third-round draft pick in 1988,<ref>{{Cite web |title=1988 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1988/draft.htm |access-date=2023-09-24 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> Kane played for the Seattle Seahawks from 1988 to 1992, when his season ended early due to ankle and knee injuries. The Seahawks cut him during training camp in the following year
'''CFL'''
Kane moved to the Canadian Football League. He played five games for the Toronto Argonauts in 1994.<ref name="CBC1105">{{Cite web |title=Ex-NFL star Tommy Kane sentenced 18 years {{!}} CBC Sports |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/ex-nfl-star-tommy-kane-sentenced-18-years-1.482171 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220323002440/https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/ex-nfl-star-tommy-kane-sentenced-18-years-1.482171 |archive-date=March 23, 2022}}</ref>
At the end of his pro career, Kane volunteered at youth football camps sponsored by Montreal's Westend Sport Association, which he had attended as a youth. While with the Argonauts, he donated a year's salary to the Centre.<REF NAME="CBC1105"/> Kane is of Black Nova Scotian descent.
==NFL career statistics== {| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" ! colspan="2"| Legend |- | '''Bold''' | Career high |}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- !rowspan="2"| Year !rowspan="2"| Team !colspan="2"| Games !colspan="5"| Receiving |- ! GP !! GS !! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD |- ! 1988 !! SEA | 9 || 0 || 6 || 32 || 5.3 || 9 || 0 |- ! 1989 !! SEA | 5 || 0 || 7 || 94 || 13.4 || 20 || 0 |- ! 1990 !! SEA | '''16''' || 11 || '''52''' || '''776''' || 14.9 || '''63''' || '''4''' |- ! 1991 !! SEA | '''16''' || '''15''' || 50 || 763 || '''15.3''' || 60 || 2 |- ! 1992 !! SEA | 11 || 11 || 27 || 369 || 13.7 || 31 || 3 |- ! colspan="2"|[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/K/KaneTo00.htm Career] !! 57 !! 37 !! 142 !! 2,034 !! 14.3 !! 63 !! 9 |}
==Crime and legal proceedings== In 1988, while at Syracuse University, Kane was arrested for assaulting a police officer after the officer attempted to have his illegally-parked car towed. He was charged with second-degree assault, second-degree obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/04/13/Football-star-arrested-for-assaulting-officer/8509576907200/ |title=Football star arrested for assaulting officer |last=Schaefer |first=Steve |publisher=UPI Archives |date=April 13, 1988 |website=UPI}}</ref> He was subsequently sentenced to community service.
On November 30, 2003, Kane severely beat and then stabbed his estranged wife, Tammara Shaikh, in his mother's house in LaSalle, Quebec. Shaikh, 35, died in the arms of a church counsellor from Kane's church who had accompanied her to the home with the intention of escorting Kane to a detox center.<ref name="MG122015">{{cite web |url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/former-nfl-player-tommy-kane-granted-day-parole-on-sentence-for-killing-wife |title=Former NFL player Tommy Kane granted day parole on sentence for killing wife |last=Cherry |first=Paul |date=December 1, 2015 |website=Montreal Gazette}}</ref> The couple had recently separated.<ref name="CBC1105"/>
Originally charged with second-degree murder, Kane pleaded guilty to manslaughter for the act. Prosecutors took his depression into account, agreeing to the lesser count.<REF NAME="CBC1105"/> There was a dispute as to whether he intended to murder his wife and claimed during his trial that he didn't remember the attack fully.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2004/oct/05/ex-seahawks-player-who-killed-wife-asks-family/ |title=Ex-Seahawks player who killed wife asks family for forgiveness |publisher=Associated Press |date=October 5, 2004 |website=The Spokesman-Review}}</ref> Kane was ultimately sentenced to 18 years in prison.
In 2010, Quebec judge Clement Gascon ordered Kane to pay damages of $590,000 to Tammara Shaikh's family. $125,000 was awarded to each of Kane and Shaikh's four children and $90,000 to Tammara's sister, Ava Shaikh,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/football-star-kane-s-family-compensated-after-wife-s-murder-1.536386 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141125174125/http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/football-star-kane-s-family-compensated-after-wife-s-murder-1.536386 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 25, 2014 |title=Football star Kane's family compensated after wife's murder |date=July 27, 2010 |website=CTV News Montreal}}</ref> who had gained legal custody of the children after Tammara's murder.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/ex-nfler-to-pay-kids-590k-after-killing-mom-1.894415 |title=Ex-NFLer to pay kids $590K after killing mom |publisher=The Canadian Press |date=July 28, 2010 |website=CBS News Montreal}}</ref> In late 2015, the Canadian Parole Board approved Kane for six months of day parole while he continued to serve his 18 year sentence.<ref name="MG122015" />
==Popular culture== * On November 22, 2014, Investigation Discovery aired this story in season 3, episode 3 of the original series Fatal Vows in an episode entitled ''Big League Murder''.
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{Seahawks1988DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kane, Tommy}} Category:1964 births Category:Canadian Football League announcers Category:Living people Category:Gridiron football people from Montreal Category:Players of Canadian football from Montreal Category:American football wide receivers Category:Canadian football wide receivers Category:Syracuse Orange football players Category:Seattle Seahawks players Category:Toronto Argonauts players Category:Canadian players of American football Category:Canadian people convicted of manslaughter Category:Prisoners and detainees of Canada Category:Anglophone Quebec people Category:Canadian people of Black Nova Scotian descent Category:Sportspeople convicted of murder Category:Canadian sportspeople convicted of crimes