Chad Kelly faces sexual harassment claim from former Argonauts employee
Former NFL quarterback Chad Kelly has had plenty of ups and downs in his football career. In Canada, it's been more ups than downs. However, he's currently facing something that could drag him down, again.
Via 3DownNation.com, Kelly has been accused of sexual harassment by a former strength and conditioning coach. She originally sued Kelly and the Toronto Argonauts in late February 2024. The lawsuit was amended on April 2.
The new version of the complaint, per the report, includes what it calls "the Bills incident." The plaintiff alleges that, in October 2022, Kelly told the plaintiff that he can get free tickets to Bills games for himself, her, and teammates whenever he wants. (Kelly's uncle, Jim, was a Hall of Fame quarterback for the Bills.)
Plans were made to attend a game. Chad Kelly allegedly was adamant that the group spend the night in Buffalo after the game. The plaintiff allegedly told Kelly that she would return home after the game. Kelly allegedly continued to try to persuade her to stay over.
She then sought approval from G.M. Michael "Pinball" Clemons to attend the game as a representative of the team. Kelly allegedly was "visibly aggravated” when she told Kelly she'd met with Clemons.
“Oh man, why would you tell Pinball?" Kelly allegedly said. "You shouldn’t have gone to Pinball. You shouldn’t have done that. Why the fuck would you go to Pinball?”
Shortly thereafter, Kelly allegedly complained about the plaintiff while in the quarterback meeting room. He revoked the invitation to the game and asked her to pay $500 for the tickets. She did not.
Per the lawsuit, Kelly allegedly became “very adamant” about “hanging out” away from work during the 2023 season. Kelly “visibly got mad and aggravated" when she declined.
The plaintiff also alleges that Kelly planned dates for them, but that she consistently refused. At one point, Kelly allegedly said they would need only 30 minutes for a date.
The lawsuit alleges that, when she tried to address the situation, Kelly said he "cannot wait" until she's fired. She eventually was, and she's now suing.
Said Kelly's lawyer, Nancy M. Shapiro: "We do not believe the claims made against Mr. Kelly have any merit and we are taking steps to defend the action."
The CFL is separately investigating the situation.
Kelly came off the bench in the 2022 Grey Cup game and helped propel Toronto to a championship. He became the starter for 2023, winning the league's Most Outstanding Player award.
Kelly was the last pick of the 2017 draft. He played for the Broncos and Colts before landing in Canada.
