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For the second time this season, the Edmonton Eskimos have lost a member of their 2016 draft class.

Linebacker D.J. Lalama was released by the club that took him with the final pick of May’s CFL draft, at 70th overall.

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The six-foot, 227-pound Manitoba product is returning to his hometown of Winnipeg where he will play out his final year of eligibility in the CIS.

“This will not be the end of my CFL journey,” Lalama said Sunday in a farewell message via social media, where he thanked his Eskimos teammates and fans. “I have made a personal life-decision to … enroll in an MBA program and further my education while competing once again for the Bisons.

“I am blessed to be able to continue the game of football and have it open up this new door.”

The 22-year-old, who captained the Bisons defence from the middle linebacker spot, registered one special-teams tackle in one preseason game with the Eskimos.

“When you talk to a kid like him, who has an opportunity to go back and get his MBA, still play college ball and he’s a great college football player, so I wish nothing but the best for D.J.,” Maas said. “He came in and did the job we asked him to do and he felt very strongly about going back to school and finishing things up.