Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly has been reinstated by the Canadian Football League. The league announced on Sunday that he is returning under a “last chance agreement.”

He was expected at the Argonauts’ practice on Sunday.

The league suspended Kelly, the reigning CFL Most Outstanding Player, for at least nine regular-season games on May 7 after an investigation into allegations that he violated “gender-based violence” rules.

During his suspension, 30-year-old Kelly had to undergo psychological evaluations and mandatory counseling sessions led by an “independent expert in the field of gender-based violence,” the league said.

CFL officials met with the psychologist and counselor, and Kelly also met with Commissioner Randy Ambrosie before reinstating him.

The ninth game of the suspension was played on August 9.

In order for Kelly to retain his eligibility, he must continue to meet “a number of ongoing conditions” that the league declined to specify.

“I am sorry for my actions and the impact they have had on many people personally, the Toronto Argonauts and the CFL,” Kelly said in a team statement. “I realize this is just one step on the road to recovery, but it is an important step and I am committed to doing what is necessary to be a better teammate, colleague and person.”

“Considering this obligation, I have accepted the league’s terms and conditions for reinstatement, including its ‘Last Chance Agreement.'”

Allegations against Kelly came to light in February when TSN reported that a former Argonauts conditioning coach was suing the team for wrongful termination. In the lawsuit, filed in Ontario Superior Court in Toronto, the woman claimed that when Kelly pushed for a romantic relationship and she rebuffed his advances, the Argonauts retaliated by firing her from the team in January. She had worked for the team since 2018.

The nephew of former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly joined the Argonauts in 2022 and helped them win the Grey Cup that season by filling in for injured starting quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson in the championship game. He became the team’s starting QB in 2023.

The Argonauts are 5-4 this season and third in the CFL’s East Division. They will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-4-1) on Thursday.

In Kelly’s absence, Cameron Dukes and Nick Arbuckle each started at quarterback for the Argonauts, with a record of 4-4 for Dukes and 1-0 for the latter.

Kelly was 15-1 as Toronto’s starter last season, completing 68.5 percent of his throws for 4,123 yards, 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He added 248 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

–Field level media