Why was Chad Kelly’s combine invitation rescinded?

Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly reportedly received an NFL Combine invitation, but the invitation has since been rescinded by the league.

The circumstances surrounding Kelly’s invitation being rescinded likely stem from a 2015 disorderly conduct incident and a recent change in league rules, but the NFL hasn’t informed Kelly or teams why they pulled his invite.

Kelly initially received an invitation on Jan. 6. The NFL also arranged Kelly’s travel to Indianapolis and assigned him a jersey number for the event, according to Tim Wright of the Buffalo News. Though it is Kelly’s understanding that he is no longer invited and he did not appear on the official invitation list that was released Wednesday, Kelly says he has not received official word from the league.

In 2015, Kelly was arrested and charged with non-criminal disorderly conduct following a bar fight in Buffalo, New York. Kelly exchanged punches with two bouncers at a nightclub, and he said he was “going to go to my car and get my AK-47 and spray this place,” according to the police report.

Kelly pleaded guilty to the charge, and he was sentenced to 50 hours of community service.

The NFL implemented a rule in 2016 excluding players from the combine who have been convicted of domestic violence, sexual assault, weapons related charges, or other violent crimes.

Kelly landed at Ole Miss after Dabo Swinney kicked him off Clemson’s team for “a pattern of behavior that is not consistent with the values of our program.” More recently, Kelly was involved in a brawl that erupted after his brother took a late hit in a high school football game.

Oklahoma’s Joe Mixon and Baylor’s Ishmael Zamora are two other notable players who were not invited to the NFL Combine.

Mixon was caught on video punching a woman in the face. He was charged with misdemeanor assault and entered an Alford plea, which is essentially a no contest plea and has the effect of pleading guilty, but without admitting actual guilt.

Zamora was charged with a class C misdemeanor after a Snapchat video emerged of him beating his dog with a belt.

The league’s new rule that excludes any player from the combine who has been convicted of a violent crime covers Mixon, Zamora, and Kelly. Mixon and Zamora, however, knew they were being excluded from the beginning.

Kelly’s representatives said he will still plan to travel to Indianapolis for the combine unless he receives official word from the NFL, according to Wright.