Toronto Argonauts QB Chad Kelly has been suspended for the entirety of the 2024 CFL preseason, and a “minimum of nine further games” for violating the CFL’s gender-based violence policy the league announced.
The CFL made the announcement following an independent 3rd party investigation into allegations levied against Kelly in February from a former female Argos strength and conditioning coach. The former Argos’ staffer is currently suing the quarterback and the Argonauts franchise for sexual harassment and wrongful dismissal.
“Players are the ambassadors of our great game,” said CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie. “They are expected to be leaders in the locker room and role models in the community. It was important that we performed our due diligence to properly review this matter from all points of view. That in-depth investigation found that Mr. Kelly unequivocally violated the CFL’s Gender-based Violence Policy.
“Mr. Kelly’s suspension is the direct result of his behaviour. The addition of mandatory counselling focuses on his need for self-reflection and understanding of his actions. He must take full advantage of this opportunity for personal betterment in order to return to the CFL.”
As per league policy, “All CFL and Club personnel are required to complete gender-based violence training. Discipline resulting from violations of the Gender-based Violence Policy is determined on a case-by-case basis.”
Should the 30 year old signal caller have any future violations of the league’s policy, harsher sanctions could be implemented.
Across 18 games in 2023, Kelly completed 270 passes for 4,123 yards, 23 TDs and 12 INTs. As a result, Kelly was awarded the league’s Most Outstanding Player award, while also being Amed a CFL All-Star for his efforts.
The nephew of Bills legend Jim Kelly, Chad was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 7th round of the 2017 NFL Draft with the final selection at 253rd overall earning him the monicker of “Mr. Irrelevant”. Since then however, he helped guide the Argos to a 2022 Grey Cup championship, and was given a new contract making him the CFL’s highest paid player.
The former Ole Miss standout inked a 3 year, $1.865M deal in the fall, which includes a $250,000 signing bonus. It’s currently unclear how many games beyond the minimum 9 game suspension (which equates to half the season) Kelly will sit out before he meets the counselling and “betterment” requirements set forth by the league.
Toronto opens their 2024 pre-season with a contest vs. the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday May 25th.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Cmm3. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.