Kevin Mital denies punching Chelen Garnes in gritty Argonauts-Elks game

Photo: Jonathan Patlan/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

There have been multiple punches during recent CFL games, but Toronto Argonauts receiver Kevin Mital denied throwing one against the Edmonton Elks on Saturday.

Shortly before halftime, Mital caught a short pass from Chad Kelly and was wrapped up by Kobe Williams. Chelen Garnes delivered an additional hit to ensure Mital went down, and ended up laying atop the receiver with his feet near Mital’s head.

Mital appeared upset that Garnes was on top of him, and he appeared to deliver a punch to the defender’s groin area. Garnes reciprocated, which led to flags being thrown. However, Mital later denied throwing a punch.

“I tried to push him, so he’d keep rolling,” the native of Longueuil, Que. said postgame. “I think he thought I was trying to hit him in the groin. I’d never try to do a cheap shot or whatever.

“I’ll look at the tape when I have time. It’s probably just a misunderstanding. He was on top of me, and I tried to make him roll over. He was mad. He punched.”

Mital was assessed a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness, while Garnes was given a 25-yard grade two unnecessary roughness penalty and ejected from the game. Two plays later, Kelly threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Dymere Miller.

Video of the incident can be found at the bottom of this article. The clearest view can be found around the 35-second mark.

It was a chippy game overall, as Toronto and Edmonton combined for 13 penalties for 131 yards. Head coach Mike Miller indicated he provided a reminder to his leaders about the importance of remaining disciplined, though he didn’t seem at all upset regarding how Mital handled the situation.

“He was in control of himself, he understood what was going on,” said Miller. “It was just one of those things that we’ve still gotta be focused on our next play. It’s about our execution of playing smart, fast, and physical. Kevin does a great job with that.”

“We’ve just got to keep our calm,” said Mital. “Me and (Damonte) Coxie had two 15-yard (penalties combined) and we’re not trying to be ejected or suspended for the next game. We’ve gotta keep our composure and keep playing.”

Mital made four catches for 78 yards and one touchdown in the win, which clinched a postseason berth for the Double Blue. He has now made 68 receptions for 813 yards and three scores on the year, putting him only 73 yards shy of a new career-high.

The 27-year-old was originally first-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft out of Laval University, where he won the Hec Crighton Trophy in 2022. He signed a contract extension with the Double Blue in June worth $156,000 in 2026 and $201,000 in 2027.

Mital has made 188 catches for 1,900 yards and seven touchdowns over 44 career regular-season CFL games.

Editor’s note: Mital’s audio was collected postgame by 3DownNation reporter Griff Bordignon.

Chelen Garnes just punched Kevin Mital 😳

A flag was thrown on the play. #CFL pic.twitter.com/DhEvvEtlJ2

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 19, 2026