An injury, not a suspension, is keeping beleaguered Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly from participating in this year’s Grey Cup.
It’s not karma. It’s not poetic justice. It’s just football.
Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly (12) is tended to by medical staff after being injured during third-quarter Canadian Football League Eastern Conference final game action against the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday.
Kelly suffered a broken leg in the final minutes of Toronto’s 30-28 East final victory last weekend over the Montreal Alouettes. Kelly, who was taken off on a stretcher, had gone 11-for-22 passing for 182 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Chad Kelly hold his injured leg during Toronto’s CFL semifinal game on Saturday.
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“I want to extend my sincere thanks to the doctors and medical staff at Montreal General Hospital, as well as my family, teammates and team ownership, for standing by me throughout this experience,” Kelly said in a statement. “I couldn’t be prouder of our team for securing an outstanding win, and I’m thrilled we’re headed to the Grey Cup. While I regret not being able to play, I have full confidence in the team and staff to bring the cup home where it belongs.
Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly (12) gets escorted out of the field on a gurney against the Montreal Alouettes during the third quarter at Percival-Molson Memorial Stadium.
Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly, center, is taken off the field after an injury during third-quarter Canadian Football League Eastern Conference final.
Chad Kelly's Career Overview
Kelly played collegiately at Ole Miss, Clemson and East Mississippi Community College, where he won a junior college championship. He was “Mr. Irrelevant” via the Broncos in the 2017 NFL Draft and appeared in one game. Kelly was released by season’s end after he was arrested on suspicion of first-degree criminal trespassing.
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Controversies and Team Reactions
Although he played surprisingly well as this season progressed, Kelly remained publicly petulant off the field with a series of social media posts promising he would remember who wronged him. His presence at post-practice scrums and media events during Grey Cup Week could have become testy if he were repeatedly being asked about remorse and rehabilitation.
Several of the female coach’s claims against Kelly, which came after the Argonauts terminated her contract, were verified through a private investigation. Female employees throughout the CFL especially expressed their dismay about the situation and there are still a few questions percolating across the league:
- Do the Argonauts provide a safe workplace for female employees?
- Will this make CFL teams less likely to hire female employees for coaching, office or support jobs?
It may take years to reveal all the ramifications of Kelly’s actions and the Argos’ reactions.
On a meet-the-media day presented by the CFL as a prelude to Sunday’s game, coaches, players and management from both teams were available to reporters in face-to-face interviews.
Michael “Pinball” Clemons, a Hall of Fame running back who also coached the Argos before becoming their general manager, was asked how the franchise would make sure Kelly’s behaviour would never be repeated by anyone within the organization.
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“You can’t keep individual situations from happening, right?” said Clemons. “What we will try to do is continue to educate our guys. You know, our fans talk about how nice our guys are and the kind of people they are. What we want to do is just continue to try to get better in every aspect of things.”
Neither Clemons nor assistant general manager John Murphy have been publicly reprimanded for their pitiful handling of the coach’s complaints. Clemons insisted he knew nothing about Kelly’s actions until the coach filed a lawsuit requesting about $200,000 in damages. The suit was settled out of court in June.
Reports indicated Murphy told the coach to not “open that can of worms” and evidently didn’t report anything to his superiors. Murphy, who has also worked for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary Stampeders, lost his Argos job temporarily after yelling homophobic slurs and fighting with Hamilton Tiger-Cats fans following a 2021 playoff game. Murphy was rehired in 2023.
When asked about Murphy’s failure to react properly, as one should in a managerial role, Clemons demurred. The incidents evidently occurred during the 2023 season.
“This topic is not a topic for this week,” said Clemons. “This is not a Grey Cup topic. These are the kinds of places we try to not run down anyone. If you wanna have a sit-down about that later, you know we could do that.”
Clemons was also asked about his conversations with Kelly and why he might believe the quarterback won’t in the future break another code of conduct, which Ambrosie cited as the reason for the suspension.
“I don’t think that’s fair to have that sort of discussion,” said Clemons. “These are private conversations, right? We are not supposed to be broadcasting this to the world. We are working hard to make this better.”
Of course Clemons would rather discuss the fact the Argonauts have won their last seven Grey Cup appearances or their 18-6 record in championship games, giving them more titles than any other CFL franchise. Without Kelly around it’s easier to quickly visit that subject, but there’s still an overriding issue lurking in the background.
Toronto Argonauts former player, now GM Michael "Pinball" Clemons addresses the crowd at the Argos took the main stage at Maple Leaf Square for a victory rally to celebrate their Grey Cup championship. on Thursday November 24, 2022.
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