Ex-Broncos QB Chad Kelly is in Big Trouble Once Again

Former Denver Broncos quarterback Chad Kelly has been suspended nine games by the Canadian Football League.

Oct 14, 2018; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Chad Kelly (6) reacts to the crowd as he / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Former Denver Broncos quarterback Chad Kelly is in hot water again. Just when Kelly had begun to rebuild some career momentum, the CFL suspended him for nine games due to allegations made by a former Toronto Argonauts assistant coach.

Here's what CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin is reporting on the Kelly suspension.

"Kelly, 30, had been accused in a lawsuit earlier this year of making unwanted romantic advances and threatening comments to a former strength and conditioning assistant employed by the Toronto Argonauts, his team since 2022. This employee did not have her contract renewed by the Argos in January, and is also suing the organization for damages.

"The CFL concluded Tuesday, after conducting a third-party investigation of allegations, that Kelly violated the league's gender-based violence policy. In addition to his suspension, the quarterback 'will be required to undergo confidential assessments by an independent expert and attend mandatory counselling sessions conducted by a gender-based violence expert,'" Benjamin wrote.

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Yuck.

It's unfortunate, but it doesn't come as much of a surprise, especially considering Kelly's history and why he flamed out in Denver. After making him 'Mr. Irrelevant' — the last pick in the 2017 NFL draft — the Broncos took their time with the troubled but talented Kelly.

A wrist injury wiped away his rookie season, but entering Year 2, Kelly was fully healthy and looking to capitalize on Denver's less-than-certain quarterback situation. The Paxton Lynch experiment was on its last legs entering 2018, and after trading away Trevor Siemian, the Broncos went out and paid Case Keenum.

Keenum arrived on a two-year deal that really only committed the Broncos to him through one season, and although he'd experienced a career renaissance with the Minnesota Vikings the year prior, he wasn't exactly perceived as a sure-fire answer to all of Denver's quarterback woes.

Kelly easily leap-frogged Lynch during the preseason, showing out quite well and leading the Broncos to release their former 2016 first-round pick on the doorstep of the season-opener. That left only Keenum to vanquish, and Kelly didn't have to do anything but keep his nose clean, and watch the veteran implode.

With Keenum leading Denver to a 3-4 start, the winds of quarterback change were blowing as October was coming to a close. Then-head coach Vance Joseph was desperate to try anything that might give his team a spark and preserve his job, and it was only a short matter of time before the Broncos were going to give Kelly a chance to start.

Then Kelly went and got himself arrested following a team Halloween party hosted by Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller. An intoxicated Kelly allegedly wandered away from the party location and let himself into an unwitting family's home in the wee hours of the morning.

A discombobulated Kelly had to be scared off by a vacuum-wielding husband, leaving the wife terrified and traumatized. The police were called and Kelly was arrested and charged with suspicion of first-degree criminal trespassing. The Broncos released him almost immediately, and he went on to plead guilty to misdemeanor second-degree criminal trespassing.

Thus ended Kelly's Broncos career.

Although he spent the 2019 season with the Indianapolis Colts, after serving a two-game suspension for his arrest, Kelly soon flamed out of the NFL. But the nephew of Buffalo Bills Hall-of-Famer Jim Kelly wasn't ready to throw in the towel on his pro playing career.

After a brief coaching stint, Kelly landed in the CFL and went on to heroically lead the Argonauts to a Grey Cup Championship in 2022. The following summer, Toronto signed him to a three-year, $1.865 million extension, making him the highest-paid player in the CFL.

Kelly led the Argonauts to a 16-2 record in 2023 but came up short in the East Final to the Montreal Alouettes. Now he'll have to miss the first six games of the 2024 season, and that's if there isn't any additional blowback from the suspension and implications thereof.

Some Broncos fans will always wonder what could have been with Kelly. But as more time passes, it becomes clear that Denver dodged a bullet by then-GM John Elway swiftly deciding to part ways with Kelly in the fall of 2018.

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