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Time will tell if Kelly’s words are serious – Winnipeg Free Press

Posted on by Venarayua
Time will tell if Kelly’s words are serious – Winnipeg Free Press

Chad Kelly spoke out Tuesday afternoon for the first time since the end of a lengthy suspension by the Canadian Football League for violating its gender-based violence policy.

Months earlier, an unidentified employee had filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the Toronto Argonauts and Kelly, the team’s starting quarterback. She accused Kelly of bullying her while she was working as a sports therapist, and when she complained to the team, she was fired. The allegations against Kelly included that he repeatedly asked her out on dates and behaved aggressively toward her on at least one occasion, even threatening her with physical violence. The case was settled out of court in late June, a few weeks after he first filed suit.

The CFL conducted an independent investigation which concluded that Kelly had clearly violated the terms of the policy. He was suspended for a minimum of nine games, during which time he had to go through a rigorous process to be eligible to return to the CFL.

Frank Gunn/THE CANADIAN PRESS Files Chad Kelly (right) was suspended nine games for violating the CFL's gender-based violence policy. He has been reinstated under strict but confidential conditions.

Frank Gunn / THE CANADIAN PRESS files

Chad Kelly (right) was suspended nine games for violating the CFL’s gender-based violence policy. He has been reinstated under strict but confidential conditions.

When Kelly spoke to reporters after his first training session with the club, he said all the right things. He apologized for his behavior and said he knew what he did was wrong. He claimed he had learned from his mistakes. He vowed he would never do something like that again.

“I know I impacted a lot of people, including the (former employee),” Kelly said. “I just want everyone to know that I’m sorry and I’m going to get better and be a better teammate and person because of it.”

You must forgive me if I do not take Kelly’s statements at face value.

Whether it was sincere or not, Kelly would only be able to return to the CFL if he admitted his guilt. That is literally the first part of the rehabilitation process; if a player does not take full responsibility, he does not get a free pass – period.

While I hope Kelly has learned from his mistakes, he has a history of botching second chances. When you look at Kelly’s troubled past, there is plenty of evidence that he can’t get out of his own way.

If a chance in the NFL wasn’t enough to keep him on the right path, how can we expect the CFL to help him?

Actions speak louder than words, and Kelly now gets a chance to show the public that he has changed. He has been given a strict, albeit confidential, list of rules to follow, similar to what happened with Johnny Manziel years ago.

Kelly will now be asked to do what Manziel could not. In effect, the league is once again risking its neck for a player it believes has talent and can draw fans south of the border.

Hopefully the CFL doesn’t look like the big loser again and Kelly takes this opportunity seriously. I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one.

Let’s take a look at the other top stories on the three-down loop in the latest edition of CFL Rundown.

1) There was a lot of excitement surrounding quarterback Nathan Rourke’s return to the CFL after nearly two years of trying to make his NFL dream a reality. Many believed Rourke would pick up where he left off with the Lions, but that prediction proved premature. Rourke, who had only practiced three days and played in one NFL game the week before, was awful, completing eight of 25 passes for 126 yards and two interceptions before being subbed out for Chase Brice late in the fourth quarter.

2) Rourke didn’t wait for a reporter’s question before taking the microphone after the game and publicly apologizing for his performance. While he did mention the fans – the house was packed with over 30,000 for Famfest – his apology seemed to be directed primarily at his teammates. Things will get very interesting when Vernon Adams Jr. returns in about a week. I spoke to Adams over the weekend in Vancouver and he’s playing the good soldier, waiting for the next opportunity. While Rourke can be expected to improve tremendously over time, I’m not sure the locker room will approve of Adams being benched if there are more performances like Sunday’s.

3) It didn’t take long for Chris Jones to find a new home in the CFL. Just weeks after being fired by the Edmonton Elks, Jones is now a senior assistant in defence with the 2-8 Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who released DC Mark Washington to make room. Jones is still paid by the Elks, so he’s basically a volunteer with the Ticats, but it will be interesting to see if this experiment lasts longer than the season. Either way, it’s just fine for the 2024 Hamilton Tiger-Cats to try to fix their league-worst defence by hiring the guy who was responsible for the CFL’s second-worst.

4) Speaking of the Elks, last week they introduced their first private owner in team history, Larry Thompson. Thompson, who made his money in construction, beat out more than 20 potential buyers for the Elks franchise, which means he has some serious cash. From his introductory press conference, he’s clearly a man of few words, but actions speak louder than words, and Thompson, a lifelong fan, seems committed. Since Thompson was hired, there has been a lot of speculation about a possible return to the old team name. Let’s hope common sense prevails and the Elks start getting better on the field. As they say, a win makes everything right.

5) Another week, another command center controversy. This time, it’s about whether Montreal Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander overstepped the field of play en route to a game-winning touchdown against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Even though Alexander clearly pulled his foot onto the white line, the command center, which reviews all plays, confirmed the play. What added to the controversy was that TSN’s camera angle only showed when Alexander planted his foot — which was clearly in the field of play — and not when he traced it where it was out of bounds. Essentially, they reviewed the play as if it were a catch and not a run, froze the throw as he planted his foot, only to forget the rest of the play.

6) Yes, I realize it wasn’t the command center that cost the Riders the game. It was kicker Brett Lauther, who made a measly three of seven field goals, including a fourth-down miss from 48 yards out just before the end of the game that could have sent the game into overtime. To Lauther’s credit, he took the consequences after the game. He took responsibility and even said he felt terrible for letting them down when his teammates were behind him. You can just chalk it up to the veteran kicker’s hard day at work.