Ole Miss QB signee Chad Kelly accepts plea deal for disorderly conduct
Recent Ole Miss quarterback signee Chad Kelly pleaded guilty to a non-criminal charge of disorderly conduct in a Buffalo court Monday, according to the Associated Press.
As part of his plea deal, Kelly sent in a letter of apology to the Buffalo police department and will be required to perform 50 hours of community service and avoid being arrested over the next year. He is due back in court March 9 to prove he complied with the terms of the plea agreement.
Kelly, the nephew of Buffalo Bills great Jim Kelly, was arrested at a Buffalo bar in the early morning of Dec. 21 after an altercation with bouncers and police officers, which occurred several days after he signed with Ole Miss. Kelly faced multiple charges, including third-degree assault, second-degree harassment, third-degree criminal trespass and resisting arrest.
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The quarterback's lawyer presented video which he said showed Kelly wasn't the aggressor in the incident. According to WIVB's Lou Raguse, Kelly's lawyer said after court proceedings Monday that the video, along with a lack of evidence that Kelly made a gun threat he was alleged to have made, resulted in the plea deal.
Ole Miss told Raguse that a decision on whether to honor Kelly's scholarship won't be made until head coach Hugh Freeze discusses the matter with Kelly and his parents.
Kelly spent the past season playing for East Mississippi Community College after he was kicked off Clemson's team in April for conduct detrimental to the team. He reportedly argued with coaches on multiple occasions, with his dismissal coming after one such argument in the team's spring game.
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The Rebels are set to lose starting quarterback Bo Wallace to graduation.
- Ben Estes
