Chad Kelly, Toronto Argonauts Settle Lawsuit with Former Employee
After mediation, a wrongful dismissal lawsuit brought on by a former employee against the Toronto Argonauts and quarterback Chad Kelly has been settled out of court.
The ex-Argos assistant sought $80,000 from Kelly and $85,714 from the Argos. Terms of the settlement between all parties have not been disclosed.
The former Argos assistant conditioning coach had worked for the team from 2018 until January 2024, when an employment contract was not renewed. The ex-employee filed a lawsuit in February, alleging that Kelly harassed and made repeated advances toward her. Alleging that, Kelly repeatedly sought to initiate romantic connections throughout the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
The filing also alleged that Toronto didn't retain her services due to her complaints toward Kelly. The suit also claimed that Toronto failed to file a report when a grievance was made.
Kelly and his camp denied the allegations and claims.
Toronto claimed its conduct with the plaintiff was fair, reasonable, lawful and undertaken in good faith. The Argonauts cited no knowledge of any inappropriate behavior by Kelly.
Saskatchewan-based firm Buckingham Security Services., an independent third party, investigated the plaintiff’s claims on behalf of the CFL.
An executive summary distributed to Toronto's legal team and Kelly's lawyers stated that investigators corroborated three of six claims against Kelly as defined by the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The findings from the independent investigation prompted the CFL to suspend Kelly for a minimum of nine games on the condition that he comply with mandatory counseling sessions and undergo assessments by an independent expert. If Kelly doesn’t complete the sessions to the CFL’s satisfaction, the league could modify its discipline against him.
As of today, the CFL hasn't disciplined Toronto for any alleged transgressions brought on in the civil suit. However, general manager Michael Clemons revealed last month that MLSE received one undisclosed official recommendation from the CFL after the investigation's findings.
In an intriguing admittance, the Argos GM, on the question of the team's culpability, revealed that Toronto was given one recommendation by the CFL, and it was "to, next time, put everything on paper."
Hopefully for the sake of the Argonauts football club, there is no next time.
Toronto opens its 2024 CFL regular season without Kelly on Sunday, playing host the BC Lions at BMO Field.
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MIKE MITCHELL