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

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

https://www.cfl.ca/2024/02/28/cfl-issues-statement-regarding-the-toronto-argonauts-and-chad-kelly/

"Out of respect for this process and all the parties involved, we will not be able to provide further comment until our investigation has been completed."

Everybody happy now?

[ModAdmin]

"Out of respect for this process and all the parties involved, we will not be able to provide further comment until our investigation has been completed."

Everybody happy now?

Yup.. watching with patience and interest.

[TecnoGenius]

We only know one side of the story. We don't have any corroboration that says it's true or that it's false, yet most who have read the one sided story have already made up their minds that the plaintiff is in the right, which may or may not be true.

True.  But there is one aspect you can be pretty sure is truthful: whatever was said to her on the bus in front of many players.  That can be corroborated by many different people and is pretty cut and dried.  If she was outright lying and what he said on the bus is a nothingburger, then all those players would have already corrected the record.  Likewise, the players should come out and corroborate her account if it is the truth.

It's the stuff that supposedly happened in private that you may have to take with a grain of salt, since Kelly does get a chance to defend himself.

That's why people then fallback to using prior history to help pick a side, and Kelly's past is pretty sordid.  Getting kicked out of the NFL isn't a good look.  And that's why the rumours of the lady maybe having relationships with other players also makes her look less credible.

Maybe the whole TOR locker room is one big gong show and both parties are full of it.  Who knows at this point.

[theaardvark]

Now that the CFL has started an investigation, it will be interesting to see how the Argos co-operate.  If the allegations bear out, with his history, does Chad get severe discipline?  Can the league afford to suspend or even ban its highest paid player, who is the key to the success of the team with the largest potential fanbase?

I really feel for poor Pinball, caught in the middle of this.  But it was his decision to hire Murphy.

If the Argos settle this and the allegation goes away with an NDA, (probably the smartest thing the Argos could do, and should have done), does Kelly get away scott free?  Or can he still face discipline from the league?

[ModAdmin]

Farhan Lalji
@FarhanLaljiTSN
Expect the @CFL to launch its own investigation into the Chad Kelly situation.
Kelly is at the center of a wrongful dismissal lawsuit by a former #Argos employee, which suggests that he harassed her when she rejected his advances.
Commissioner Randy Ambrose will be in Vancouver on Thursday for a #GreyCup announcement. @SportsCentre

[TecnoGenius]

If the Argos settle this and the allegation goes away with an NDA, (probably the smartest thing the Argos could do, and should have done), does Kelly get away scott free?  Or can he still face discipline from the league?

I would think the league can do whatever it wants within reason, precedent, and the CFL CBA.  They want the optics of clamping down hard, but also want to preserve the on-screen product by having talented players.  I don't envy their situation.  They must be cursing the dolts that cause this grief.

Can anyone remember the last time a CFL player was in trouble for harassment?  However it was handled then is likely how it will be handled now.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

I would think the league can do whatever it wants within reason, precedent, and the CFL CBA.  They want the optics of clamping down hard, but also want to preserve the on-screen product by having talented players.  I don't envy their situation.  They must be cursing the dolts that cause this grief.

Can anyone remember the last time a CFL player was in trouble for harassment?  However it was handled then is likely how it will be handled now.

Teague Sherman and Jerome Messam both had their CFL contracts terminated for sexual harassment of some sort. Much more serious offences than Kelly committed though.

[theaardvark]

Teague Sherman and Jerome Messam both had their CFL contracts terminated for sexual harassment of some sort. Much more serious offences than Kelly committed though.

But neither of those were incidents involving the team, or its personnel.  Sherman committed sexual assault on women he met in a bar, and Messam was convicted of voyeurism against a woman he went home with. 

The issue with Kelly is that it not only involves him, but also the team, and the accusation is that the team was complicit in the act, the coverup and dismissal. 

Its not just Kelly on the hot seat, but also the team.

[Lincoln Locomotive]

I'm liking Kelly less and less by the minute and that goes for the Argo organization as well.....unsavoury business

[TecnoGenius]

But neither of those were incidents involving the team, or its personnel.  Sherman committed sexual assault on women he met in a bar, and Messam was convicted of voyeurism against a woman he went home with. 

Both of which are actual crimes, invoking the criminal code.  (Well, voyeurism is illegal in some jurisdictions, not in others; but I'll assume his was illegal.)

Even the worst parts of the accuser's story in the Kelly case don't reach criminality.

So I guess we're in slightly new territory here, vis a vis CFL precedent.  So that allows Ambrosie to decide how hard the hammer will fall.

I'm liking Kelly less and less by the minute and that goes for the Argo organization as well.....unsavory business

Ya, any pro sports figure has to be "squeaky clean"er than joe blow.  And any sports figure with the bad history that Kelly has needs to be near-puritanical.  I just don't understand why people in these positions blow it so badly sometimes.  I'm sure most here are like myself just shaking their heads wondering how on earth someone can be so dumb.

Of course, our team is not without fault (cough Kenny cough), but we do seem to keep our players' noses cleaner than many other teams.

[blue_gold_84]

"Out of respect for this process and all the parties involved, we will not be able to provide further comment until our investigation has been completed."

Everybody happy now?

It was a bare minimum expectation.

[TBURGESS]

True.  But there is one aspect you can be pretty sure is truthful: whatever was said to her on the bus in front of many players.  That can be corroborated by many different people and is pretty cut and dried.  If she was outright lying and what he said on the bus is a nothingburger, then all those players would have already corrected the record.  Likewise, the players should come out and corroborate her account if it is the truth...

That should be the easiest part of the claim to corroborate, but it hasn't happened yet. Lets say it's true, is that enough to prove wrongful dismissal? Nope. Harrasment? Yup. 

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Farhan Lalji
@FarhanLaljiTSN
Expect the @CFL to launch its own investigation into the Chad Kelly situation.
Kelly is at the center of a wrongful dismissal lawsuit by a former #Argos employee, which suggests that he harassed her when she rejected his advances.
Commissioner Randy Ambrose will be in Vancouver on Thursday for a #GreyCup announcement. @SportsCentre

Being a barebones organization what capability does the CFL have to investigate anything properly, not like they have security or a team of investigators on staff waiting around for something to happen.

I think this announcement is mostly wind, the CFL should keep silent until the legal process is complete, than tack on their conclusion and/or suspension at the end of it all based on the legal findings. If they draw their own conclusion before the process is complete, they'll just come off looking dumb.

[Waffler]

the CFL should keep silent until the legal process is complete

If they do that, it just makes it easy for the Argos to drag out the case as long as they can. I prefer the CFL to know what's going on behind closed doors in TO if that is possible. The CFL does promote female hires and we just lost one of the few we had, in the media center of the league no less. And why? Because a baby brained QB can't take no?

[Waffler]

Also if they settle out of court with the usual gag order, you never have an admission of guilt or any details of what happened.