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The Canadian Football League suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games for violating the league’s Gender-based Violence Policy.

The league, which announced the discipline on Tuesday, said Kelly must attend counseling sessions led by a gender-based violence expert as well as cooperate with an independent expert who will conduct confidential assessments.

The 30-year-old Kelly, the reigning Most Outstanding Player in the league, must complete both phases before he will be considered for reinstatement. He also must sit out Toronto’s 2024 preseason games.

The league said it made its decision following a “thorough third-party investigation.”

“Players are the ambassadors of our great game,” CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said in a news release. “They are expected to be leaders in the locker room and role models in the community. It was important that we performed our due diligence to properly review this matter from all points of view. That in-depth investigation found that Mr. Kelly unequivocally violated the CFL’s Gender-based Violence Policy.

“Mr. Kelly’s suspension is the direct result of his behavior. The addition of mandatory counseling focuses on his need for self-reflection and understanding of his actions. He must take full advantage of this opportunity for personal betterment in order to return to the CFL.”

The league’s punishment comes after the team’s former strength and conditioning coach filed a lawsuit in Ontario Superior Court in Toronto last February. She alleged that after Kelly harassed her and she rejected his advances, the Argonauts retaliated by dismissing her from the team in January. She had worked for the team since 2018.

The woman was seeking $50,000 from Kelly for violating the Ontario Human Rights Code and more than $85,000 from the Argonauts for her claim of wrongful termination.

She said in the lawsuit that Kelly “repeatedly sought to initiate romantic connections” throughout the 2022 and 2023 seasons and continued to do so after her “polite refusals.”

In November of last year, according to the lawsuit, Kelly “publicly accused (her) of engaging in romantic relations with another team member,” leading her to confront the quarterback in private.

“Instead of addressing the concerns, Chad reacted with aggression, screaming, cursing and waving his hands at (her),” the lawsuit alleges.

In the 2023 season, Kelly completed 270 of 394 passes for 4,123 yards with 23 touchdown and 12 interceptions. He added 248 rushing yards and eight scores on the ground.

The nephew of former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly joined the Argonauts in 2022 and helped guide them to the Grey Cup title that season, subbing in for injured starting quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson. He became the team’s starting QB in 2023, when Toronto finished 16-2.

–Field Level Media