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Canadian Football League quarterback Chad Kelly is the subject of a lawsuit filed by a former Toronto Argonauts strength and conditioning coach claiming she was fired after being sexually harassed by the 2022 Grey Cup winner and then reporting him to her superiors.
Kelly, the NFL’s 2017 Mr. Irrelevant, was named the 2023 CFL Most Outstanding Player after signing a three-year contract extension worth a total of $1.865 million with the Toronto Argonauts, making him the highest paid player in the league.
According to TSN, the wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed by the strength and conditioning coach claims she “reported the harassment she was experiencing from Chad to her superiors. [The] Argonauts failed to address [her] legitimate concerns and then terminated her employment.”
The CFL is also named in the lawsuit. She is asking the court to make Kelly pay her $50,000 for alleged violations of the Ontario Human Rights Code and for the Toronto Argonauts to pay $85,714.
The alleged victim worked for the Argonauts from May 2018 until January 2024.
She also claims that Chad Kelly “repeatedly sought to initiate romantic connections… by asking [her] out on numerous occasions. Despite [her] polite refusals, Chad persisted in his advances, displaying a pattern of behavior that raised concerns.”
She alleges that Kelly’s harassment escalated in November 2023.
“A member of the Argonauts informed [her] that on Nov. 5, 2023, while on the team bus, [Kelly] publicly accused [her] of engaging in romantic relations with another team member,” the lawsuit reads.
The coach says she then privately confronted Kelly on Nov. 6, 2023.
“Instead of addressing the concerns, Chad reacted with aggression, screaming, cursing, and waving his hands at [her],” the lawsuit says, adding that she asked Kelly not to contact her unless it was work-related.
An hour after their conversation, the coach ate breakfast with a group of at least eight others, including her supervisor, Usama Mujtaba, the lawsuit says, adding that when Kelly saw her, he yelled derogatory words across the room at her and stated he couldn’t wait until she was fired.
The coach wrote in her lawsuit that she then informed Mujtaba and Argos assistant general manager John Murphy about what had happened.
“Murphy responded by stating that [she] should not have spoken to [Kelly] and that she has now ‘opened a can of worms that didn’t need to be opened,’” the lawsuit says.
The alleged victim also stated in her lawsuit, “On Nov. 10, 2023, [the coach] learned that Chad had made a threatening remark, suggesting she was fortunate he hadn’t physically harmed her.
“Despite [her] supervisor witnessing parts of the incident and [the coach] reporting the ongoing harassment, the Argonauts failed to take any action to address the situation, leaving [her] in a distressing and unsupported position within the team.”
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment spokesman Dave Haggith, responding to the claims, told TSN in a statement, “The club is aware of a legal claim made by a former employee against the team and Mr. Kelly. The organization will not comment on private personnel matters or ongoing litigation but is steadfast in its commitment to providing a safe and inclusive work environment.”
The 29-year-old nephew of former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round, 253rd overall, in 2017, but was released after he was arrested on suspicion of first-degree criminal trespassing. He would later plead guilty to misdemeanor second-degree criminal trespassing.