Ole Miss quarterback signee Chad Kelly appeared in court Monday after a December arrest in his home town of Buffalo following an incident where he allegedly participated in a bar fight and then fought with law enforcement from the time of his arrest all the way down to the booking station. He was charged with seven separate misdemeanors or violations.
According to the Associated Press, Kelly pleaded guilty to a non-criminal charge of disorderly conduct and submitted himself to 50 hours of community service. He also wrote a letter of apology to the Buffalo Police Department.
“His conduct could have been more mature,” Kelly’s attorney, Thomas Eoannou, said in court.
With that out of the way, the next question becomes whether or not Kelly will keep his scholarship in Oxford. A junior college transfer from East Mississippi Community College, Kelly’s arrest came just days after signing his papers with Ole Miss.
Head coach Hugh Freeze said days after the arrest that he would decide Kelly’s future following his day in court. “I’m just gathering all the facts from his side, the other sides and just waiting to see what the court date holds and what comes from that,” Freeze said at the time. “Then we’ll make a decision.”
Kelly’s attorney said he “should be fine” in that respect. “My assessment is he’s a good kid. He’s highly competitive. He’s highly emotional, and he needs to learn to shut that off when he’s not on the football field.”
Kelly is permitted to conduct his community service in Mississippi. He must also undergo a court-ordered evaluation to see if drug or alcohol counseling is necessary.
Kelly, who originally signed with Clemson out of high school, led EMCC to a national championship this fall after throwing for 3,905 yards and 47 touchdowns. The Rebels will be in search of a new starting quarterback following the departure of Bo Wallace.