I know, the horror of it all, college-aged individuals with marijuana in their vicinity. Given this particular player’s past, though, it probably isn’t the best of looks a few months ahead of the NFL draft.
A serious knee injury earlier this month not only ended Chad Kelly‘s season but his collegiate career as well. Wednesday, the Ole Miss quarterback underwent surgery to repair the damage; a day later, a Snapchat photo that went viral shows Kelly sitting at a table with a bag of weed within reach.It warms my heart to see how @CoachHughFreeze has affected so many young men’s lives in such a positive way pic.twitter.com/We7nui9PjO
— Hudson Wright (@WhereIsDaHud) November 18, 2016
When it comes to a toke session, that photo marks off just about every box on the modern-day checklist. I’ve heard.
Leafy substance? Check. Cigarillos? Check. Bag of some type of fast food to assuage the inevitable munchies? Check. The genius friend/associate who decides a “Blunts with chad kelly” title is the perfect time to name drop on social media? Check.
Thus far, Ole Miss has declined to comment on the photo, although the fact that the injury ensured Kelly will never play again for the Rebels makes it essentially meaningless collegiately.
That said, this addition to Kelly’s off-field résumé, not to mention the significant knee injury, does nothing but give NFL teams yet another reason to question his long-term viability in the league.
In April of 2014, Clemson announced that Kelly had been dismissed from the team for “conduct detrimental to our program.” Kelly, benched following a couple of interceptions, verbally sparred with assistant coaches during the spring game, triggering the dismissal.
In December of that year, shortly after signing with the Rebels out of the JUCO ranks, Kelly was arrested on a whopping seven misdemeanor charges following an incident that began with him fighting with bouncers inside of a Buffalo bar -- “I’m going to go to my car and get my AK-47 and spray this place” -- and ended with him fighting with police. While Kelly’s attorney claimed his client was merely defending himself inside the bar, no explanation was given for Kelly’s actions after he and a friend were pulled over by police a short time later.
Last month, Kelly got involved in a high school game in Buffalo involving his younger brother Casey and had to be restrained following an on-field scuffle. He later stated his regrets for his actions.
Depending on how things play out between now and April, especially off the field, Kelly could find his way into the first couple of round of the NFL draft. Or he may become one of those infamous draft-day tumblers, in which case his bank account would end up regretting his actions as well.
