American football quarterback, Chad Kelly, has found himself in the thick of controversy. A former strength and conditioning coach filed a sexual harassment claim against the player and his then team, the Toronto Argonauts.
Chad Kelly, the CFL's Most Outstanding Player in 2023, faces a sexual harassment claim from a former Toronto Argonauts employee. https://t.co/4vB3EWxSqW
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 10, 2024
This lawsuit, initially filed in February of 2024, saw amended specifics on April 2nd, involving what is now referred to as “the Bills incident”.
The plaintiff in the lawsuit claims that in October of 2022, Kelly promised her free tickets to the Buffalo Bills games.
The former employee alleges that Kelly insisted they spend a night in Buffalo after attending a game together, a suggestion she rejected.
Upon receiving permission from general manager, Michael “Pinball” Clemons, to attend the game as a representative of the team, the plaintiff recalls Kelly expressing visible irritation.
Post this occurrence, Kelly allegedly became resentful toward the plaintiff during team meetings, eventually revoking her invitation to the game and demanded that she reimburse $500 for the tickets. She declined to pay the fee.
Throughout the 2023 season, the lawsuit posits that Kelly was fervent about engaging in non-work-related activities with the plaintiff.
She claims that Kelly would turn visibly irritated and angry each time she denied his requests.
The plaintiff also alleges that Kelly went as far as to plan dates, which she consistently declined.
Per the lawsuit, Kelly is alleged to have reacted to her repeated refusal by stating his anticipation for her dismissal.
The plaintiff alleges that Kelly remarked he “cannot wait” until she’s fired. Ultimately, she was let go from her position and consequently filed the lawsuit.
In response to the allegations, Kelly’s lawyer, Nancy M. Shapiro stated, “We do not believe the claims made against Mr. Kelly have any merit and we are taking steps to defend the action.”
Meanwhile, the Canadian Football League is conducting its independent investigation into the matter.
Chad Kelly came off the bench in the 2022 Grey Cup game, assisting Toronto to secure a championship.
His exceptional performance earned him the position of the starter for 2023, leading to his Most Outstanding Player award.
Despite being the last pick of the 2017 draft, Kelly played for the Broncos and Colts before his stint in Canada.
