Ole Miss Rebels

Ole Miss Football: Chad Kelly Must Remain Calm Off the Field

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly has a calm demeanor while on the field of play. He needs to make sure he keeps that same attitude when he is off the field.

A video circulated around all forms of media Friday night of Chad Kelly being restrained as he tried to run onto a high school football field. There is no word in that first sentence that can possibly be good for the Ole Miss Rebels. Chad Kelly being in the news for anything other than throwing a touchdown is not normally good news.

Kelly was back in New York to watch his brother play football. The video shows Kelly attempting to run on the field to get involved with a fight in which his brother was involved. He made it on the field but before anything could happen he was pushed back.

If this had been anyone else from any other team, a simple shaking of the head would have taken place. However, this was not just anyone. He doesn’t play just for any team. Kelly has a reputation. He was kicked off the Clemson football team for being a trouble maker. Ole Miss was to be his chance at redemption.

Before he had the opportunity to take a snap from behind center as a Rebel, he got into trouble at a club in Buffalo. Again the facts were a little sketchy. Coach Hugh Freeze let Kelly know that he was on thin ice. However, Kelly was a model citizen during his first season here. He has done everything his coaching staff has asked of him. Then a video came out.

Facts Don’t Matter

So here we are. Though the facts from the video show that it was much ado about nothing, when has facts really mattered? People can watch any video and convince themselves that they didn’t see what they really saw. Some can see a video of a man beating a woman and convince themselves that she deserved it.

So a video of Kelly running on a football field can become whatever the viewer wants it to be. Regardless of the facts. However the video shows that Kelly was stopped from making a bigger mistake. But make no mistake, what he did was wrong.

Chad Kelly had no right to be on the field of play. He was prevented by the high school coaches from making an error from which he could never return. But the fact that they had to stand in front of him is inexcusable. Kelly was a guest at the game, not a player. His actions could have ended with him in jail.

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Fights on football fields is a common occurrence. Whenever you have young men on the field of battle extra curricular activities can occur. Kelly knows this. He has played in countless games. The excuse that he was protecting his brother is a poor excuse. He knows better.

However, his actions are not on the level of those who beat women. He made no contact with anyone. He didn’t even work up a sweat. To compare his actions to someone who would punch a woman while she was on the ground is preposterous. Kelly got worked up for a minute.

But Chad Kelly must understand that five minutes of uncontrollable emotion can ruin your dreams. Five minutes of losing his cool could have cost him the end of his college career. He must know that five minutes of a lack of self-control could have had him back down a road he has been trying so hard to avoid.

Just look at the result. He did not even make contact but most media outlets have a heading that insinuates that Kelly was involved in a high school football brawl. It doesn’t matter if it’s true. When you have a stained reputation people won’t give you the benefit of the doubt. All his good is being ignored because he “almost” got involved.

The Kelly Effect

But what Kelly really needs to understand is that his action does not only affect him. Ole Miss spends a lot of time talking about responsibility to each other. They stress being committed to one another. In an effort to protect his family, he put his other family at risk. His Rebel teammates are depending on him being behind center every snap. They need his leadership. They need his talent. The team almost lost all of that simply because Chad couldn’t remain calm.

Kelly put the 2016 season in jeopardy because he couldn’t keep his cool. It’s not just his dreams that were going up in smoke on that field in New York. But all his teammates’ dreams. Evan Engram came back for his senior year for something special. Marquis Haynes may be in his final season. Akeem Judd is trying to go out in style during his senior season. These men’s season was being protected by a high school football coach who was holding Kelly back.

His rushing the field was a selfish move. Plain and simple. He was saved because someone else had a cooler head. There won’t always be a hand there stopping Kelly. At some point he has to be able to prevent himself from risking all. He has to control his emotions for the greater good. Eventually nothing happened during the high school football game. Kelly didn’t touch anyone. Kelly himself was not injured. He shouldn’t be suspended but he should be held accountable by Coach Freeze. I’m sure he will feel the ire from Freeze. However, Kelly can’t keep finding himself in these situations. Or his college career will end the same way it began, with disappointment.

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