Toronto Argonauts QB Chad Kelly Suffered Concussion in Playoff Loss to Montreal Alouettes
Many were caught off guard by the news that Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly suffered a concussion in the 38-17 Eastern Final loss to the Montreal Alouettes.
Kelly believed that he might have gotten the concussion on a hit in the first quarter. He described moments during the game where he knew he wasn’t 100 percent with his head.
“I think there were a few times definitely that I was not in the right mind at all calling a play, even out on the field,” Kelly told 3Down Nation. “It was definitely rough the day after and I’d say probably two days after, really. I mean, it’s something that you don’t want to go through. I’ve had one (concussion) before and it wasn’t to the extent of this one, but it’s definitely something that you gotta get help.”
Kelly finished the game throwing for 246 passing yards with one touchdown, four interceptions and a lost fumble. He added 58 yards on the ground in the loss. After the game, Kelly had leave for the locker room right at the end of the game as he wasn’t feeling well.
“Personally, I did not feel good. My head and everything was not in the right place of mind to say anything to anybody,” he said. “I needed to get in the locker room. My head was not good.”
Kelly was named the George Reed Most Outstanding Player earlier this week.
The story took another turn as Argonauts coach Ryan Dinwiddie didn’t know he had suffered a concussion until his wife informed him. He spoke to the media after winning Coach of the Year speaking more about how his wife informed him.
“This morning, she got up before me, she’d seen it on 3Down,” said Dinwiddie, who won Coach of the Year. “I guess she’s just as bad as me as far as reading that. She asked me about it, I didn’t know anything about that.”
The CFL has concussion spotters at each game, but Kelly was not pulled. Dinwiddie did not see the signs that Kelly had a concussion.
“No, I think if I would have known that we definitely wouldn’t have let him play for his sake. Knowing him, how tough he is, we know he will try to play through something like that,” Dinwiddie said. “We’ve got to be more careful in this business as far as head injuries and sometimes you’ve got to hide things away from the players, hide their helmet, don’t let them go back out there, guys want to play through that stuff.”
The team’s doctors and Dinwiddie are working with Kelly on the injury as they ensure that he gets the proper care for his head.
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Anthony Miller has been covering professional spring football since 2019 including XFL, USFL, and CFL. He was a local news reporter in Texas before transitioning to sports. Other sites he writes for includes College Football Network and NTZ Network.