Former Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly Suspended by CFL For Gender Violence Policy Violation

Former Ole Miss Rebels and current Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly received a nine-game suspension from the Canadian Football League on Tuesday following an investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former coach against both Kelly and the Argonauts.

Kelly is set to sit out in the regular season as well as miss Toronto's two preseason games this year for violating the league's gender-based violence policy. The AP was the first to report the news on Tuesday.

According to the reports, Kelly will undergo "confidential assessments by an independent expert" and attend mandatory counselling sessions with a gender-based violence expert. Both of these will have to be completed before the CFL considers reinstating Kelly, and the league could modify his suspension otherwise.

News of the lawsuit surfaced in March as the coach filed a report with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, claiming "a pattern of harassment by Kelly that began with unwanted romantic advances and escalated into instances of threatening language," per the Associated Press.

Kelly also released a statement to the AP at the time of the lawsuit.

“I am shocked by the allegations which have been made against me," Kelly said in a statement. "I absolutely deny these events and intend to vigorously defend myself and will be seeking the dismissal of the action."

Kelly, who spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons with the Rebels and won a Sugar Bowl under then-head coach Hugh Freeze, was the named the CFL's outstanding player last season after leading the Argonauts to a franchise-record 16-2 final mark on the season, also good for a league-best in the campaign.