Nathan Rourke: Argos, CFL, dropped the ball on Chad Kelly's allegations

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Former CFL star quarterback Nathan Rourke has fired back at the league and the Toronto Argonauts for their handling of allegations against offensive lineman Chad Kelly.

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Kelly has been accused of sexual assault against a former Argonauts strength coach.

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The coach said Toronto management ignored his complaint and fired him for whistleblowing in January, ending his six-year tenure with the team.

“I'm disappointed in the lack of urgency from both the @CFL and the @TorontoArgos,” Rourke wrote on social media site, X (formerly Twitter). “This issue should be treated with utmost seriousness and care for the truth. If we fail to practice what we preach, what kind of example are we setting for the boys and girls of Canada? #BE.”

Rourke, currently with the NFL's New England Patriots, responded to a post Wednesday by Sportsnet's Arash Madani, who said some CFL employees resigned over the league's handling of the complaint.

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Madani reported that a number of league employees had voiced their concerns, only to receive an internal warning before being fired.

The former Argos coach filed a lawsuit against Kelly on February 21.

The incident became public the next day, but it took a week for the CFL to issue a statement that it had launched its own investigation.

According to a member of one team's front office, it has raised eyebrows in the league Postmedia the delay sent a bad message to all female employees.

“Now, any female employee can say they've been neglected?” – he said, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to comment.

CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie said at the time that the key was to “conduct a proper independent investigation.”

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The League's policy on violence against women has been in place for almost a decade and calls for action following any report of violence against a staff member.

The woman said in court that when she reported the harassment to Toronto authorities, she was told she had unnecessarily opened a “can of worms.”

He said Kelly made several advances over the past two CFL seasons, constantly calling him names and eventually becoming aggressive and using abusive language in front of others.

He is seeking $50,000 from Kelly, $85,000 jointly from Argos and Kelly, alleging wrongful termination, and $10,000 in punitive damages.

None of the allegations have been tested in court. Neither the team nor the league played defense.

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The lawsuit was amended last week to include the “Bill Incident,” which includes a proposed trip to a Buffalo Bills game in October 2022.

According to the woman, Kelly, the nephew of Bill's ex-son, Jim Kelly, offered to get her tickets, but she was sure she would spend the night with him and others.

When Kelly Argos Major General Michael “Pinball” Clemons was cleared to go to the game, he said he should never have gone to Clemons.

Shortly after that, Kelly was yelling and cursing her name in the quarter's meeting room, she said.

Last November, Kelly, the former coach, claimed that the harassment escalated when she made plans to go out to a movie or dinner and once said she only needed 30 minutes.

Kelly won the league's Most Outstanding Player award last season and was its highest-paid player.

At the CFL combine in Winnipeg last month, Clemons said the team is preparing to go into the 2024 season with him as the starting quarterback.

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