Toronto Argonauts quarterback must attend mandatory counselling sessions, undergo assessment before reinstatement
The Canadian Football League (CFL) has suspended Toronto Argonauts’ Chad Kelly over an allegation of gender-based violence policy violation made against the quarterback.
This comes after a third-party investigation into allegations made against Kelly.
“Players are the ambassadors of our great game,” said Randy Ambrosie, CFL commissioner. “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."
Coach claims harassment by Kelly
Earlier this year, a woman who was a former strength and conditioning coach with the Argos filed a harassment case against Kelly following her separation from the team.
She claimed she was harassed by Kelly, whose behaviour is said to have started with unwanted romantic overtures and escalated into incidents where Kelly apparently used threatening language, according to a previous report from The Canadian Press.
The worker reported Kelly’s behaviour to the team, but the team did not act on it, according to the report posted on CP24.
On April 2, the former coach filed an amended lawsuit in Ontario Superior Court in Toronto. against Kelly, according to a TSN report.
She is suing Kelly for $50,000 for alleged violations of the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Argos and Kelly jointly for $85,714, claiming wrongful dismissal. She is also seeking $10,000 worth of punitive damages.
The former employee is also suing the Toronto Argonauts team for wrongful dismissal.
Previously, a store manager in Quebec won a wrongful dismissal case they filed against their employer after being let go following a parental leave.
Kelly to undergo counselling
Following the third-party investigation, Kelly has been suspended for 2024’s preseason games and a minimum of nine further games.
He will also be required to undergo confidential assessments by an independent expert and attend mandatory counselling sessions conducted by a gender-based violence expert.
He must “satisfactorily” complete both the counselling sessions and assessment before CFL considers his reinstatement.
If he is unable to satisfactorily complete those sessions and assessments, the CFL reserves the right to modify his discipline.
“Mr. Kelly’s suspension is the direct result of his behaviour,” said Ambrosie. “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.”
Should Kelly have any future violations of the gender-based violence policy, he will receive further discipline, added the CFL.
Chad Kelly, Argos deny allegations
Last week, both Kelly and the Toronto Argonauts filed separate statements of defence in response to the former coach’s allegations, according to TSN.
Kelly “denies that he ever made any romantic or sexual overtures at [the plaintiff] at any time,” in his defense, according to the report.
The team also claimed that the coach was on a fixed-term agreement and that it was under no obligation to continue her employment. Also, it said that the former employee needed to improve her skills to maintain her position the following season, and that her interactions with Kelly had nothing to do with her dismissal.
“In or about November 20, 2023, [head strength and conditioning coach] Usama Mujtaba met with [the plaintiff] for an exit interview as part of [the Argonauts’] standard process for all team personnel. In that meeting [she] was advised that she needed to significantly improve her skills if she was going to be re-hired for the 2024 season,” read part of the statement, according to TSN.
Earlier this year, a youth worker in Alberta was charged with child sexual exploitation offences after, in January, Saskatchewan’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) division learned about his offences.
