https://twitter.com/4TomMartin/status/784593702035525633
Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly has a history of sub-optimal behavior off the field and, on Friday night, he was involved in a brawl … during a high school football game. To be fair, the scuffle involved Kelly’s brother and here is the blow-by-blow account:
HUGE brawl just now at Timon/Joes. Casey Kelly hit late out of bounds, benches clear… Chad Kelly ran onto field and had to be restrained.
— TOM MARTIN (@TwoCirclesTom) October 7, 2016
For context, fight started literally on top of Chad’s brother, Casey, who took late hit. Chad was on the field after shoving escalated.
— TOM MARTIN (@TwoCirclesTom) October 8, 2016
Kelly was dismissed from the Clemson football program in 2014 for what was termed to be “conduct detrimental to the team” and he was also once arrested in Buffalo (where the brawl took place) for a fight involving bouncers at a local night club. Since taking the reins at Ole Miss, Kelly has largely remained out of the spotlight off the field, but this isn’t ideal, even if it can be explained given the fact that his brother was being mauled and crushed.
According to ESPN, Kelly’s mother described the on-field activity as a “late hit” on Chad’s brother, Casey, and she referred to the aftermath as the opposition “stomping on Casey and throwing haymakers”. In the aftermath of the incident, Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze released the following statement:
“I have spoken to Chad and his family. He understands that he should have handled this difficult situation with his brother differently. He has apologized, and we will continue to address this when he returns to campus.”
Chad Kelly’s previous reputation will certainly add fuel to the fire here, and even if you can identify with trying have a sibling’s back in this type of incident, a high-profile individual just can’t be seen acting in this manner.
