Researching David Kelly

A former head of the Defence Microbiology Division working at Porton Down, Kelly was part of a joint US-UK team that inspected civilian biotechnology facilities in Russia in the early 1990s and concluded they were running a covert and illegal BW programme. He was appointed to the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) in 1991 as one of its chief weapons inspectors in Iraq and led ten of the organisation's missions between May 1991 and December 1998. He also worked with UNSCOM's successor, the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and led several of their missions into Iraq. During his time with UNMOVIC he was key in uncovering the anthrax production programme at the Salman Pak facility, and a BW programme run at Al Hakum.

Following Kelly's suicide in 2003 Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister, set up a government inquiry under Lord Hutton, a former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland. The inquiry concluded that Kelly had killed himself by "cutting his left wrist and that his death was hastened by his taking Coproxamol tablets". Hutton also stated that no other parties were involved in Kelly's death.

There was continued debate over the manner of Kelly's death, and the case was reviewed between 2010 and 2011 by Dominic Grieve, the Attorney General; he concluded that there was "overwhelmingly strong" evidence that Kelly had killed himself. The post-mortem and toxicology reports were released in 2010; both documents supported the conclusion of the Hutton Inquiry. The manner of Kelly's death has been the subject of several documentaries and has been fictionalised on television, on stage and in print. He was appointed as Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1994 and might well have been under consideration for a knighthood in May 2003, according to Hutton. His work in Iraq earned him a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Kelly's other credits include roles in 48 Hrs. (1982), Commando (1985), The Crow (1994), The Funeral and Last Man Standing (both 1996), The Longest Yard (2005), as President Harry S. Truman in Flags of Our Fathers (2006), and a recurring role in The Blacklist (2015).

As a child, Kelly suffered from Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease, but recovered to win a move from non-league Alvechurch and turn professional at Walsall in 1983. He was named in the 1986–87 Third Division PFA Team of the Year, and scored a hat-trick in the 1988 play-off final to secure the club promotion out of the Third Division. He was sold to West Ham United for £600,000 in August 1988, but struggled for form before being sold on to Leicester City for half that sum in March 1990. He then moved on to Newcastle United for a fee of £250,000 in December 1991. He helped Newcastle to avoid relegation out of the Second Division in 1991–92 and then win promotion into the Premier League as champions of the newly-renamed First Division in 1992–93.

He remained in the First Division however, having been signed by Wolverhampton Wanderers for a £750,000 fee in June 1993. He top-scored for Wolves in 1994–95, before he was purchased by Sunderland for £900,000 shortly before they won promotion as champions of the First Division at the end of the 1995–96 season. He dropped back into the First Division after joining Tranmere Rovers for £350,000 in 1997, and spent three seasons with Rovers, playing on the losing side of the 2000 League Cup final. Following brief spells with Sheffield United, Motherwell, and Mansfield Town, he finished his career at Derry City, winning the 2002 FAI Cup in his final match as a player.

He remained within football after retiring as a player, and went on to coach at Tranmere Rovers, Sheffield United, Preston North End, Derby County, Walsall, Scunthorpe United, and Port Vale.

Prior to transitioning to television, Kelly served for two-plus seasons as an anchor for the University of Arizona Wildcats Radio Network. Kelly hosted the pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows during all Arizona Wildcats football and men's basketball broadcasts as well as served as a play-by-play announcer for the Arizona baseball and softball teams.

Kelly spent three seasons (2005–2007) doing radio and TV play-by-play for the Memphis Redbirds of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League.

He is the son of NFL Hall of Fame running back Leroy Kelly, who starred with the Cleveland Browns from 1964-1973. His uncle Pat Kelly played Major League Baseball for 15 seasons (1967–1981) with the Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Cleveland Indians.

Kelly began his career in August 1991 as Sports Director at KTIP-AM 1450 in Porterville, CA. The station at the time was owned by Oakland A's announcer Monte Moore.

His first professional baseball experience came broadcasting games for the Class-A Visalia Oaks during the 1991 and 1992 seasons. He later moved to KGEO-AM 1230 in Bakersfield where he became the voice of the Bakersfield Dodgers.

Kelly advanced to Double-A baseball in 1995 where he broadcast games for the Port City Roosters (Wilmington, North Carolina) for two seasons.

He was a mainstay at 50000-watt clear channel powerhouse WTAM-AM 1100 in Cleveland from 1997-2005. He started in the news department as an overnight anchor/morning drive reporter. Eventually moving to sports as an update anchor, beat reporter for the Cleveland Browns, and talk show host.

He has won five Associated Press first place awards for his work in radio, including being named Ohio's Best Sports Broadcaster in 2005.

Kelly's baseball style is a mixture of old school and new school. He loves to interweave stories about players around his play-by-play call.

His home run call is Goodnight Irene and when the bases are loaded it's a Graaaand Slaaaamma. If a player has a big RBI night, or drives in a lot of "ribs" (as Kelly refers to them), he's been known to offer that player a wet nap for his performance.

Kelly has adopted Arch McDonald's famous phrase for a fastball right down the middle of the plate, "right down Broadway", and changes it to fit a popular boulevard in whatever city he is currently calling games. Some of those streets that fastballs have whizzed down along the way have included Truxtun (Bakersfield), Oleander (Wilmington), Beale Street (Memphis), and Speedway (Tucson).

Kelly attended University High School (Normal), Illinois (1986) and graduated from the University of Southern California in 1990.

In the dying minutes of Sligo's senior intercounty qualifier game against Meath in 2017, referee Noel Mooney failed to award David a free for a blatant miss kick. Ever the cantankerous soul, he has refused to shave or cut his hair since. His Facial hair need serious attention and his hairstyle has more personality than its owner. His family and loving wife are beside themselves with worry.

At club level he has won only the triumphant electable titles however not the rudimentary inquisitive 'cup' blades and syringes.