Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly, the reigning CFL Most Outstanding Player, is accused of harassing a female coach in a lawsuit she filed against the team for wrongful dismissal, TSN reported Thursday.
The former strength and conditioning coach filed suit in Ontario Superior Court in Toronto on Wednesday. She alleges that after Kelly harassed her and she rejected his advances, the Argonauts retaliated by dismissing her from the team in January. She had worked for the team since 2018.
The woman is seeking $50,000 from Kelly for violating the Ontario Human Rights Code and more than $85,000 from the Argonauts for her claim of wrongful termination.
She said in the lawsuit that Kelly “repeatedly sought to initiate romantic connections” throughout the 2022 and 2023 seasons and continued to do so after her “polite refusals.”
In November of last year, according to the lawsuit, Kelly “publicly accused (her) of engaging in romantic relations with another team member,” leading her to confront the quarterback in private.
“Instead of addressing the concerns, Chad reacted with aggression, screaming, cursing and waving his hands at (her),” the lawsuit alleges.
When she raised the issue to her supervisor and the team’s assistant general manager, she was allegedly told she had “opened a can of worms.” The coach claimed that the team did not submit an incident report to the CFL, breaching a league policy concerning violence against women.
“(The plaintiff) reported the harassment she was experiencing from Chad to her superiors,” the coach’s lawsuit says. “(The) Argonauts failed to address (her) legitimate concerns and then terminated her employment.”
The nephew of former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly joined the Argonauts in 2022 and helped guide them to the Grey Cup title that season, subbing in for injured starting quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson. He became the team’s starting QB in 2023.
Chad Kelly was dismissed from his first college team, Clemson, due to conduct detrimental to the team. He was involved in a bar fight and a brawl at a high school football game before finishing his college career at Ole Miss, and he was arrested for criminal trespassing early in his brief NFL career.
“The club is aware of a legal claim made by a former employee against the team and Mr. Kelly,” a spokesman from the Argonauts’ parent company said in a statement to TSN. “The organization will not comment on private personnel matters or ongoing litigation but is steadfast in its commitment to providing a safe and inclusive work environment.”
–Field Level Media
