Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly has the green light to return to work.
The CFL announced Sunday that the league’s reigning most outstanding player has been reinstated after serving a nine-game suspension for violating the league’s gender-based violence policy.
The league originally suspended Kelly for at least nine games prior to the start of the season.
The CFL announced last weekend it had received Kelly’s confidential psychological assessment, a requirement as part of his suspension on May 7, and was going to complete an examination of the results with the help of experts before making a decision.
Under terms of the CFL’s suspension, Kelly had to undergo confidential assessments by an independent expert and attend mandatory counselling sessions conducted by a gender-based violence expert.
The Canadian Press reported that commissioner Randy Ambrosie met with Kelly on Friday.
The decision Sunday allows Kelly to practise with the team ahead of Thursday’s home game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Argos have gone 5-4 without Kelly and are third in the East.
The league started an independent investigation on Kelly after a lawsuit was filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the quarterback and the club.
The CFL’s decision to launch its investigation came after the complainant filed a statement of claim with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, alleging a pattern of harassment by Kelly, beginning with unwanted romantic advances and escalating into instances of threatening language.
The coach said the Argos did not act when told of Kelly’s behaviour and claims assistant general manager John Murphy said she “opened a can of worms that didn’t need to be opened.”
The complainant said she was informed in January her contract with the club would not be renewed. The complainant had joined the franchise in 2018 and said her contract had previously been continually renewed.
The lawsuit was settled in June through mediation.
– With files from the Canadian Press.