Argos tight-lipped regarding lawsuit

General managers and coaches from across the league took turns meeting virtually with reporters on Tuesday from the CFL Combine in Winnipeg.

Conversations mostly centred around prospects and how teams will go about evaluating them this week, but that all changed when the Toronto Argonauts brass sat down in front of the camera.

Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie and general manager Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons were repeatedly asked about the ongoing lawsuit recently filed by the team’s former strength and conditioning coach against quarterback Chad Kelly.

In the lawsuit, the coach alleges she was harassed by Kelly on several occasions and the Argos enabled him by creating a toxic work environment, as well as an unwillingness to properly address the issue despite being informed of his behaviour. The lawsuit also alleges the team breached the CFL’s violence against women policy by not submitting an incident report to the league’s office.

She was hired in 2018 and her contract was not renewed in January.

The story was made public on Feb. 22 and Clemons claims that is also when he first learned about the lawsuit.

Clemons and Dinwiddie mostly shied away from speaking on the lawsuit as the investigation is ongoing.

The CFL has hired an independent investigator.

“We are moving forward as Chad Kelly is our starter, as we would in any year. But, in any and every year, injuries can happen, anything can happen, so you’re always trying to prepare for those things,” said Clemons.

Kelly was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player last season after leading the Argos to a 16-2 record.

If he’s suspended, the Argos will be left with two inexperienced arms in Cameron Dukes and Bryan Scott. Dukes threw for 760 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions while starting two games — going 1-1 — as a CFL newcomer. Scott has zero career starts to his name.

“We feel good about our second and third quarterback from last year, let those guys compete it out, see who’s gonna be Chad’s backup this season,” Dinwiddie said. “We feel like we have candidates in the building that can win football games and, like we do each year, we’ll look outside the building to add some competition at that position.”

Riders excited to add Hardrick

The Saskatchewan Roughriders were tired of playing against Jermarcus Hardrick.

It’s a big reason why they decided to make him the highest-paid American offensive lineman in the league last month.

The longtime Bomber will now be on the other side of the Banjo Bowl after inking a two-year deal to join the team in green.

The Riders went 6-12 these past two seasons and have had no shortage of issues on the O-line.

Hardrick was a finalist for the CFL’s most outstanding offensive lineman award last year.

“I hated when I watched him on the field and he’s jumping around, celebrating and bringing energy to the other team, to be honest,” said Riders general manager Jeremy O’Day on Tuesday.

“The reality is, he’s a good football player. He does that on the field to energize the team but he’s also really great in the locker room and around the players… He’s an established guy who has a lot of respect from our guys. Just to be part of the team and bring that energy to our guys in the locker room and on the field is a big deal for us.”

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