Chad Kelly, a former Ole Miss Rebel and current Toronto Argonauts quarterback, was suspended for nine games by the Canadian Football League on Tuesday following an inquiry into a lawsuit made by a former coach against Kelly and the Argos.
Kelly will sit out the regular season as well as Toronto’s two preseason games this year after breaking the league’s gender-based violence policy. ESPN was the first to report the story on Tuesday.
According to sources, Kelly would be subjected to “confidential assessments by an independent expert” as well as forced counselling sessions with a gender-based violence expert. Both of them must be accomplished before the CFL considers reinstating Kelly, and the league may modify his suspension otherwise.
The complaint became public in March, when the coach filed a report with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, claiming “a pattern of harassment by Kelly that began with unwanted romantic advances and escalated into instances of threatening language,” according to the Associated Press.
Kelly also made a statement to the Associated Press on the lawsuit.
“I am shocked by the allegations leveled against me,” Kelly said in a statement. “I absolutely deny these events and intend to vigorously defend myself and will be seeking the dismissal of the action.”
Kelly, who spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons with the Rebels and won a Sugar Bowl under then-head coach Hugh Freeze, was voted the CFL’s outstanding player last season after leading the Argonauts to a franchise-record 16-2 final record, which was also league-best for the season.
