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Former Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly sustains horrific leg injury during CFL action
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Former Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly led the Toronto Argonauts to a Grey Cup — the CFL’s championship — in 2022 but came up short of a repeat in 2023.
The Argos are headed back to the final in 2024, though, after a 30-28 win over the Montreal Alouettes in Saturday’s East Division championship game. But their thoughts are certainly with Kelly, who suffered one of the most horrific leg injuries you’ll ever see.
It happened late in the third quarter with Toronto up 24-16. Here is the video (warning: viewer discretion is advised):
WARNING: This is difficult to watch. #Argos quarterback Chad Kelly essentially trying to hold his right leg together. Listen to the anguish from the offensive lineman after he looks at Kelly. Sad. #CFL #TSN #GreyCup #Leafs pic.twitter.com/po1aVEIRtU
— Howard Berger (@Berger_BYTES) November 10, 2024
This is an absoultely catastrophic injury. Hearing such a reaction from his teammates makes it even more devastating.
According to TSN’s Dave Naylor, Kelly underwent surgery at a Montreal hospital on Saturday to repair what was ultimately ruled a tibia injury, with an “anticipated 6-9 month rehab”.
Kelly had thrown for 2,451 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions in 9 regular season games for the Argos in 2024, adding 214 yards and 5 touchdowns on 48 carries.
He sat out the first 9 games of the CFL season, though, after a third-party investigation found he had violated what the league refers to as its gender-based violence policy. Kelly returned to play in August albeit under what’s called a “last-chance agreement”, meaning he’ll have to “meet a number of ongoing conditions” moving forward.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
