Argo QB, Chad Kelly sited in harassment/wrongful dismissal charges

[TBURGESS]

Chad Kelly denies sexual overtures towards former Argos strength and conditioning coach in statement of defence - https://3downnation.com/2024/04/30/chad-kelly-denies-sexual-overtures-towards-former-argos-strength-and-conditioning-coach-in-statement-of-defence/

Kelly's side of the story. 

[TecnoGenius]

Kelly's side of the story.

Ugh, no link to the statement of defence referenced in the article?  They make it sound like they had some court leak when really all these things are public record.  They just sent someone down to the court to get a copy.  (Still, better than we can do!)  But why not link to an actual copy?  Lame.

First thoughts:

- This is totally going to be settled.  Might take a while, but the nature of the claims by both sides mean one side outright winning in court is probably impossible... and even if possible, neither side can know which way the coin will fall.  The lawyers, and the court, will be pressuring everyone to settle.  Then the NDA will mean no one ever knows squat, which will be a massive anti-climax.

- Kelly making an ace strategic move hiring a female lawyer.  No one wants to see a dude lawyer beating up on a female alleged-victim.  But no one bats an eye when a lady does it.

- Kelly saying "they could go out sometime in the future as a group"... uh, I was a 20-something dude once and no 20-something dude (especially not a star QB) says those words.  That makes me inclined to think they are a lie.

Aards' take & verbiage ideas are actually a good compromise, along with maybe a reduced settlement out of court... but unfortunately today's legal structure and political environment make such decency impossible.  You guys are right in that it would be taken as an admission of guilt and Kelly further crucified.  There's really no win here.

Well, there was one win, pay the first ask (maybe with a bit of haggling) before it went public on the condition of a big NDA.  Then no one ever hears a thing and the trainer gets her payday.  And the CFL doesn't get egg on its face.  Even better, it doesn't set precedent for "copycats" because no one would ever know.  The fact they didn't do this, again, hints that Kelly may be mostly/completely innocent.  Why fight it unless you feel totally wronged, and are certain any witnesses will back you up?

[theaardvark]

The CFL home page features on the bottom left the "Diversity is Strength" motto, and three articles:

Steinberg: 5 trailblazers in the CFL on International Women's Day

Diversity Is Strength Conversations: Progress and pain for women in sports

Hall: How I learned to embrace being a female reporter

The Argos are single handedly  destroying this framework.  They make a diversity hire in a conditioning coach,and then blow it up by letting this happen, and then get dragged out into public.

Not a great look for team or league.  "We're trying, but Kelly is a really, really good player..."

[TecnoGenius]

Not a great look for team or league.  "We're trying, but Kelly is a really, really good player..."

Well, you have to admit that TOR goes to GC contender to near-worst team in the league if they lose Kelly.  They have zero legit backup for him and there are no free ones to sign this late in FA.  Not saying this is right, but this is definitely on the mind of the Argos and CFL higher-ups.  They always want a competitive TOR team to sustain the tiny STH and TV-watching base.

Which is kind of funny as for a brief while they had Kelly, MBT, Zach and Franklin (and maybe 1-2 lessers?) all signed at the same time!  That was a crazy moment.

[theaardvark]

Well, you have to admit that TOR goes to GC contender to near-worst team in the league if they lose Kelly.  They have zero legit backup for him and there are no free ones to sign this late in FA.  Not saying this is right, but this is definitely on the mind of the Argos and CFL higher-ups.  They always want a competitive TOR team to sustain the tiny STH and TV-watching base.

Which is kind of funny as for a brief while they had Kelly, MBT, Zach and Franklin (and maybe 1-2 lessers?) all signed at the same time!  That was a crazy moment.

Which is why they should have immediately settled.  Its not like they didn't have a chance, or that the complainant was running to the media...  This is the corporate overloards of the Argos cheaping out and killing their franchise and the league in doing so.

Ambroisie should have settled it the instant he found out and then taxed it back from the Argos...

[blue_gold_84]

Killing the league...?

[theaardvark]

Killing the league...?

Figuratively, with the league pushing diversity, and one of its teams accused of this behaviour, it kills that message.

[blue_gold_84]

Figuratively, with the league pushing diversity, and one of its teams accused of this behaviour, it kills that message.

It kills the message with the Argonauts organization - them and them alone. There are eight other organizations not involved and seemingly adhere to the diversity is strength narrative.

Your hyperbole is neither helpful nor necessary.

[theaardvark]

When Nathan Rourke calls out the CFL (not the Argos), its a league issue.  It is caused by the Argos, it is legally affecting the Argos, but the League gets splashed with the mud.

[blue_gold_84]

When Nathan Rourke calls out the CFL (not the Argos), its a league issue.  It is caused by the Argos, it is legally affecting the Argos, but the League gets splashed with the mud.

Rourke isn't an authority on anything here. He's an athlete expressing his opinion and nothing more.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Figuratively, with the league pushing diversity, and one of its teams accused of this behaviour, it kills that message.

That's right it is a message, the CFL front office is striving to look politically correct and keep pace with modern trends.  Meanwhile football teams and locker rooms especially are run in military fashion by die hard members of an old boys club who resist change at every step.

[theaardvark]

Rourke isn't an authority on anything here. He's an athlete expressing his opinion and nothing more.

He is presently an NFL player with CFL history, and has a voice that reaches an audience of more than one...  its not his "authoritative knowledge" on the subject that is the issue, it is that he has expressed his opinion, and that allows others to learn about it, and make their opinions about it.

[blue_gold_84]

He is presently an NFL player with CFL history, and has a voice that reaches an audience of more than one...  its not his "authoritative knowledge" on the subject that is the issue, it is that he has expressed his opinion, and that allows others to learn about it, and make their opinions about it.

And?

Was he privy to what took place within the Argonauts organization with this incident? No.

[theaardvark]

And?

Was he privy to what took place within the Argonauts organization with this incident? No.

This is an issue of appearances... and leaving it unresolved allows people to comment, regardless their level of expertise or knowledge of the situation.

This is optics, and having the former best QB in the league who is now in the NFL comment negatively on the issue is bad.

[TecnoGenius]

That's right it is a message, the CFL front office is striving to look politically correct and keep pace with modern trends.  Meanwhile football teams and locker rooms especially are run in military fashion by die hard members of an old boys club who resist change at every step.

And this debacle (regardless of who is right or "wins") just reinforces that it should remain that way.  None of this would have happened had the trainer been a dude.   Not saying it's right or wrong: it's just a fact.  This sets all the CFL "modernization" attempts back a decade.  No team (or league) needs this PR exposure.  Watch how many female trainers are hired in the coming few years...

Aards is right: this is a world of optics (like it or not), especially optics on the trendy buzzwords.  And this is bad optics for the league, not just the Argos.  At the start of the draft TSN asked Ambrosie specifically about this issue, proving it's basically front and center in the CFL world right now.