At this point, there is nothing the CFL nor Toronto Argonauts can do to avoid even more negative headlines about Chad Kelly.
The CFL made its decision to reinstate Kelly, 30, from a nine-game suspension Sunday and the Argonauts made their decision Tuesday to have him return as starting quarterback Thursday night against the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Whatever happens next in this sad saga seems to be all up to Kelly, which is a scary thought.
Many are disappointed in the CFL and Argos — and that’s fair. Kelly’s nine-game suspension for violating the league’s gender-based violence policy was caused by yet another off-field mistake by the quarterback, albeit seemingly the first one in his three years in the CFL.
The CFL could have handed Kelly a longer suspension.
The Argos could have done more after the sexual harassment allegations against Kelly were raised by a former strength-and-conditioning coach.
A lawsuit was settled through mediation in June, perhaps partially clearing the way for Kelly to return (he also had to meet other league-mandated conditions).
Now, we’re left with the awkwardness of the league’s reigning most outstanding player coming back in front of what should be the Argos’ biggest home crowd of the year.
Will the team — an inconsistent 5-4 without Kelly after going 16-2 last year — even introduce its starting quarterback when he comes on the field? Or will Kelly’s name first be introduced as a starter in 2024 at the Argos’ next game — the annual Labour Day Classic in Hamilton? You can be sure Tiger-Cats fans, already surly because of the team’s poor play, will not be very warm to the QB of Hamilton’s bitter rival.
The Buffalo-born Kelly has already been booted off high school, college and NFL teams. That hasn’t happened in the CFL — at least not yet.
Kelly has a history of making awful decisions, some of which have led to arrests. It seems he’s one more bad move away from being out of the CFL — based on the ‘last-chance agreement’ in his reinstatement. The conditions of that agreement have not been made public.
Kelly isn’t the first, and won’t be the last, player to come to the CFL in hopes of a fresh start after running into trouble in the U.S. Argos general manager Michael (Pinball) Clemons has given second chances to several players during his long association with the team. Some have worked out, others haven’t.
There is something to be said for not giving up on people. It is admirable to try to help people become productive members of society after brushes with the law.
But when should that become less of a priority? How many mistakes does someone have to make before they lose the privilege of trying to play professional football?
Sure, the CFL likely can’t suspend Kelly for some of his actions before he entered the league. And, yes, if the Argos simply released Kelly, one of the eight other CFL teams could very well sign him.
Players with plenty of similarly bad baggage play in most, if not all, of the other major North American pro sports leagues, where athletes usually make much more money.
Deshaun Watson, for example, is an active NFL player, despite his alleged despicable behaviour. After being suspended 11 games by the league, the Cleveland Browns quarterback is now back playing on a $230-million deal. The team isn’t about to cut Watson, who was accused by more than two dozen women of sexual misconduct during massage sessions. Settlements have been reached in most of the lawsuits.
CFL coaches and GMs don’t earn nearly as much as the decision-makers of the Browns, but they can be fired just as quickly if they don’t win. And if the CFL team leaders are out of work, they’re often left without huge savings in their bank accounts.
Pro football, be it in the NFL or CFL, is a cutthroat business, and that often leads to decisions you wouldn’t see in other workplaces.
Kelly hasn’t earned the right to come back. He has been given a lifeline, something he almost certainly wouldn’t get if he wasn’t considered one of the best players in the league.
The last time Kelly played football, his heavily favoured Argos committed nine turnovers in a stunning loss to the visiting Montreal Alouettes in the East final last November. We didn’t know at the time that some of Kelly’s alleged actions were said to have taken place in the week leading up to that playoff failure.
The biggest Argos crowd since that near-full-house in November figures to be on hand Thursday, against the backdrop of thousands of Torontonians enjoying the Canadian National Exhibition.
Odds are Kelly will be rusty but OK on the field, and Day 1 of his latest post-trouble era will be deemed a small step in the right direction.
That’s the easy part, though. Kelly never has proven he can stay out of trouble for long stretches of time. He doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt.
Around the league
It looks like two other starting quarterbacks are set to return this week.
Dru Brown (leg) is in line to start for the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday against the B.C. Lions after missing the team’s last game in Calgary, where Jeremiah Masoli made an inspirational return from a long-term Achilles injury to lead the visitors to victory.
Meanwhile, Cody Fajardo appears set to return for the Montreal Alouettes on Sunday against the Edmonton Elks after missing four games with a hamstring injury. The unheralded Davis Alexander guided the reigning Grey Cup champs to a 4-0 record with Fajardo sidelined.
Sunday also could mark the season debut for Als star receiver Austin Mack, who re-signed with the team earlier this week after getting cut by the Atlanta Falcons.
Game of the week
Tough choice between Toronto-Saskatchewan and the B.C.-Ottawa tilt.
Canadian star quarterback Nathan Rourke gets his second start in a row for the Lions after his season debut went badly last week against Winnipeg in the aftermath of his NFL release by the Falcons. The Lions have lost four in a row as they begin this home-and-home series, with the return match slated for next week in Victoria.
Here’s the full Week 12 schedule.
Thursday: Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-4-1) at Toronto Argonauts (5-4), 7:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. local
Friday: Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-8) at Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-6), 8:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. local
Saturday: B.C. Lions (5-5) at Ottawa Redblacks (6-2-1), 7 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. local
Sunday: Edmonton Elks (3-7) at Montreal Alouettes (9-1), 7 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. local