CFL reinstates Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly with conditions

TORONTO — The CFL has reinstated Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly with conditions, the league announced Sunday morning.

The decision comes after the league on May 7 suspended Kelly, the CFL’s outstanding player last season, for Toronto’s two exhibition games and first nine regular-season contests for violating the league’s gender-based violence policy.

“The Canadian Football League (CFL) has reinstated Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly on a last-chance agreement provided that he continues to meet a number of ongoing conditions,” the league said in a statement.

“The ongoing mandatory conditions surrounding Mr. Kelly’s reinstatement reflect the need for him to demonstrate a continued commitment to upholding league standards.”

The league said the conditions are confidential and will not be disclosed.

Kelly will rejoin the Argos on Sunday and participate in his first practice with the team. He’ll be eligible to play for the Argos (5-4) on Thursday night when they host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-4-1).

“I am sorry for my actions and the impact it has had on many people personally, the Toronto Argonauts and the CFL,” Kelly said in a statement issued by the Argos. “I recognize that this is just one step in the process of bettering myself, but it is an important one, and I am committed to doing what is needed to be a better teammate, colleague and person.

“With that commitment in mind, I have accepted the League’s conditions of reinstatement, including its ‘Last Chance Agreement’.”

The suspension followed an independent investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both Kelly and the Argos. The lawsuit was settled in June through mediation involving all of the parties.

Under terms of the suspension, Kelly had to undergo confidential assessments by an independent expert and attend mandatory counselling sessions conducted by a gender-based violence expert. Both the counselling sessions and assessments had to be satisfactorily completed before the CFL would consider Kelly’s reinstatement and the league did reserve the right to modify his discipline.

Last weekend, the league announced it had received Kelly’s confidential psychological assessment and would complete an examination of the results with the help of experts before making a decision on Kelly’s reinstatement.

Kelly then participated in an in-person discussion with CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie.

“This is an important step for Chad who has taken full accountability for his actions and represents just the beginning of his ongoing commitment to bettering himself and learning from this experience,” said Argos GM Mike (Pinball) Clemons. “There continues to be much work to do to strengthen our team culture and we are all committed with Chad’s return, to work on this together, as a team.”

Toronto’s 39-25 home win over Calgary on Aug. 9 was its ninth regular-season game after which the Argos went on a bye week.

“The Argos and MLSE take this issue extremely seriously, in keeping with our unwavering commitment to maintaining a work environment where individuals are treated with respect and dignity and that is free from discrimination and harassment,” said Keith Pelley, MLSE’s president and CEO. “The organization will implement a comprehensive education program, focused on this issue, to ensure all team members and staff are properly equipped with the awareness and skills to protect against this issue occurring in the future.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2024.

The Canadian Press