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

[theaardvark]

I went back and reread the article.. she rebuffed his advances for what it seems like a year, but he got violent and made threats after he discovered she may have had a relationship of some sort with another player instead of him?

That defines the situation a little better...  this is a classic situation we see in toddlers playing... one decides if he can't play with the toy, no one can... I hate making such a derivative comment, but it is a disorder we see often. Until someone else managed to engage her, his ego was not challenged.  Once t was apparent that his alpha position was in doubt, he lashed out.

Should this be treated a less of a big deal because he just lashed out verbally, and did not physically assault her as he had threatened to?  I think we're at a point that the intent here was obvious and criminal, and needs to be treated as such. 

I have to wonder why the coach didn't think she had to act after the first or second advance.  Not laying blame, just suggesting the Argos need to make sure all staff know that even the hint at sexual misconduct needs to be addressed, even if it is just a misunderstanding.

With his history, like Manzeil in Hamilton, you'd think the organization would be on high alert to any potential issues.  The fact that it got to this level means someone dropped the ball.

[blue_gold_84]

It sure seems like some kind of incident occurred, so there should be repercussions for Kelly's immature behaviour, even if it was just yelling.

Verbal abuse is still abuse - even more so in a work environment where traits like professionalism and respect are paramount.

Kelly's track record of questionable behaviour should speak volumes here; he comes across as immature, entitled, and most of all, incorrigible.

[theaardvark]

Wonder if this was the coach...

https://www.seewhatshecando.com/discover/dana-beattie-on-becoming-the-first-woman-assistant-strength-coach-for-the-toronto-argos

She doesn't seem to be on the staff now...

simple google search "2020 toronto argos strength and conditioning" - 5th entry

[TBURGESS]

I know it sounds like Kelly was a petulant *****, but you all realize that we've only heard one side of the story, right? 

[bryan35]

I know it sounds like Kelly was a petulant *****, but you all realize that we've only heard one side of the story, right?

I wonder why??

[blue_gold_84]

I know it sounds like Kelly was a petulant *****, but you all realize that we've only heard one side of the story, right?

Mr. Irrelevant has a track record of being a petulant manchild.

[Waffler]

I went back and reread the article.. she rebuffed his advances for what it seems like a year, but he got violent and made threats after he discovered she may have had a relationship of some sort with another player instead of him?

The relationship with another player accusation just seems like classic stalking behavior to me. I would be surprised it even happened anywhere other than Chad Kelly's mind. A professional just wouldn't. The whole thing just seems border line criminal stalking. Criminal harassment is the name of the law in this province.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

What?

Why are we talking about people's personal lives here?

It's not uncommon for organizations to have non-fraternization policies in place to restrict relationships between employees from developing, the days of Mad Men are long gone. Hard to say if the Argos would even think of implementing such a policy with so few females on staff, but employee contracts might fall under the window of broader MLSE policies, so who knows.

[ModAdmin]

Mr. Irrelevant has a track record of being a petulant manchild.

But he is right. We need to hear the rest of the story.

[dd]

But he is right. We need to hear the rest of the story.

Oh for sure, well, have at er Chadwick, tell us your side of the story!!! We won't hear anything out of his camp as he's a guilty as sin

[theaardvark]

But he is right. We need to hear the rest of the story.

I'm not too sure we do need to hear "the rest of the story" or "the other side of the story". 

This is an event that there aren't two sides to, really.  Its been pretty clearly laid out.  He did things he's not supposed to do.  There are no explanations that will justify his behaviour.

Anything short of a Mea Culpa and a full apology from him, and the Argos settling with her is one of those "slap in the face" situations. 

I'm pretty sure "the rest of the story" only makes him look worse...  best to get this out of the way, now.  For him, the Argos and the league.

[TecnoGenius]

I went back and reread the article.. she rebuffed his advances for what it seems like a year, but he got violent and made threats after he discovered she may have had a relationship of some sort with another player instead of him?
[...]
Should this be treated a less of a big deal because he just lashed out verbally, and did not physically assault her as he had threatened to?  I think we're at a point that the intent here was obvious and criminal, and needs to be treated as such. 

Don't fall for the modern trap of conflating violence and speech.  Speech can never be violence, otherwise the word "violence" has no meaning.  We cannot say he "got violent" because there has been zero allegations of unwanted physical contact.

So, yes, it is less of a big deal because he didn't whack her.  If he had whacked her, we wouldn't be having this conversation: he'd be suspended 3 games or fired, pay huge restitution and fines, and have to deal with a criminal trial.

Verbal abuse is still abuse - even more so in a work environment where traits like professionalism and respect are paramount.

Yes, verbal abuse is verbal abuse.  Physical abuse is physical abuse.  And there are other kinds of abuses, but they are all distinct entities that should not be conflated.

We don't need to try to make it sound worse than it is, because it's already "bad enough" to force various entities to go into full damage control mode.  No matter Kelly is forced (or wants) to do, he's put a big (additional) stain on his career, and made himself less employable/desirable.  This could also spell reduced future earnings.  In the worst case (for him), he's prematurely kicked out of football for good.

It's all so stupid.  You can tell when someone is not open to advances and any sane person nowadays backs off.  Plenty of fish, Kelly.  Maybe there's actually something wrong with his brain.

[TecnoGenius]

Mr. Irrelevant has a track record of being a petulant manchild.

Yes, his Manziel-esque past taints how people view him.  He had to be twice as much the boy-scout as the next guy to stay peachy in the public eye, and instead he goes into full DB mode.  Maybe he has FAS or something, seriously.  It seems like he has self control issues.

In the TSN featurette his NFL uncle said he did a lot of tough love to help straighten Kelly out.  Well, get on a plane up to TOR, because Kelly apparently needs some mega-tough love again.

[TecnoGenius]

The relationship with another player accusation just seems like classic stalking behavior to me. I would be surprised it even happened anywhere other than Chad Kelly's mind. A professional just wouldn't. The whole thing just seems border line criminal stalking. Criminal harassment is the name of the law in this province.

You may be required to get a court order or at least serve notice on the "stalker" before it can become a criminal matter.  But I do agree that her description in the article did sound stalker-ish.  But there's no indication she went to the police.

What I find disconcerting is that when she went to her boss(es) they weren't able to put a stop to it.  It's bad enough DB Kelly was behaving very poorly and didn't stop, it's another when his bosses didn't/couldn't reign him in.  It's actually mind boggling.

Like: "Hey Kelly you need to back off and stay away from her."  "Nah, I'm going to publicly berate her on a bus."

Very bizarre.

[TecnoGenius]

Why are we talking about people's personal lives here?

On the main gist regarding Kelly, he made his personal life public when he brought his feud public by saying things front of all the players.  He was too dumb to just wait to say things to her when no one was around, or, ideally, just take the hint and leave her alone.

As for possible affairs between her and other players, I suppose that isn't private anymore because a) the team probably has rules against that, and b) it is a line of defense that Kelly could possibly use to attack her credibility in any court/mediation situation.  If you're going to open a public can of worms, you should try to make sure your nose is squeaky clean first, otherwise the counter-suit is a bleep.