Former Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Chad Kelly suffered a frightening injury for his Canadian Football League team in the playoffs on Saturday.
Kelly was playing for the Toronto Argonauts against the Montreal Alouettes in the third quarter of the East Division Finals when he appeared to snap his right leg in half.
He was running on a 2nd and 10 play trying to get a first down, when he was brought down. In the process of the tackle, Montreal’s Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund fell down on Kelly’s leg, appearing to break it.
On the broadcast on Canada’s TSN, Kelly is seen limping around on the field trying to hold his leg in place before collapsing to the turf.
One of Kelly’s teammates, offensive lineman Dejon Allen, is seen falling onto the field in anguish after looking over at his quarterback’s injury.
Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly snapped his leg in a CFL playoff game
WARNING: VIDEO BELOW MAY BE DISTURBING
Kelly had to be stretchered off the field and was replaced by American quarterback Nick Arbuckle.
Prior to leaving with the injury, Kelly completed 11-of-22 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
Arbuckle was able to guide Toronto to a 30-28 victory over Montreal to help lead the team to the 111th Grey Cup (the CFL equivalent to the Super Bowl).
According to TSN’s Dave Naylor, Kelly will undergo surgery on his tibia – with an expected recovery time of between six and nine months.
Toronto will play the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the Grey Cup in Vancouver.
Kelly was best known for his college success at Ole Miss. He arrived there after redshirting at Clemson and then being dismissed due to ‘conduct detrimental to the team’ – which led to him transferring to East Mississippi Community College.
After winning the junior college national championship, he transferred to Ole Miss and became a first-team All-SEC player.
He was the 2017 NFL Draft’s ‘Mister Irrelevant’ – being selected with the 253rd and final pick of that year’s draft. He played in one NFL game with the Broncos – kneeling out the clock in Week 6 of the 2018 season.
Later that season, Kelly was released after he was arrested on suspicion of first-degree criminal trespassing after he allegedly entered a couple’s place of residence after leaving a Halloween hosted by teammate Von Miller. In March 2019, Kelly pled guilty to misdemeanor second-degree criminal trespassing.
Kelly was selected as the ‘Mister Irrelevant’ of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos
After flaming out in the NFL, Kelly has rebuilt his career in the Canadian Football League
The Indianapolis Colts signed him in May of 2019. After failing to make an impact that would see him get on the field, he was released from the team in late September of 2020.
Kelly briefly paused his playing career – returning to East Mississippi CC to work as an offensive coach – before re-starting his playing days north of the border.
Since moving to Canada, Kelly has been a star with the Argonauts – winning a Grey Cup in 2022 and being named the league’s Most Outstanding Player in 2023.
