Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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can control certain things and you can't control other things. "I learned to control the things you can and leave the things you can't control up to those people. I was happy to get out there and share my side of the story, to just tell them that what happened was what happened and what I'm here to do is play football." Te'o and the Chargers reached a contract agreement on May 9. "It's a dream come true," he said. "Now it's time to play football. It's definitely a blessing, but now I'm ready to get to business." General manager Tom Telesco traded up to the 38th pick to snag Te'o, who he called the most "instinctive and productive linebacker in the draft." "We think he'll fit in excellent in our 3‑4 defense and how we're going to play our linebackers," Telesco added. "We felt if we really wanted him we'd have to go get him, and that's what we did." Te'o was projected as a first-rounder, which would have made him just the second Irish linebacker to be selected in the first round. Instead, Bob Crable (1982) remains the lone player to hold that honor. Te'o is the seventh Fighting Irish linebacker to go in the second round, joining Myron Pottios (1961), Jim Lynch (1967), Greg Collins (1975), Bob Golic (1979), Demetrius DuBose (1993) and Courtney Watson (2004). Riddick Grooves Into Motown Detroit Lions running backs coach Curtis Modkins phoned Riddick during the sixth round moments before the selection was announced. Riddick's home in New Jersey erupted in celebration, and the player who rarely was at a loss for words while with the Irish could hardly explain his emotions to Blue & Gold Illustrated. "I don't even know what they told me on the phone," he said. "I'm so excited. This is wild." Riddick had an interesting career at Notre Dame. Recruited out of Immaculata High as a running back, he switched to slot receiver for two seasons before returning to the backfield in 2012. He finished his career with 1,169 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 244 carries, and recorded 120 receptions for 1,263 yards and eight scores. "I can't come up with the words," he said. "You work so hard, and you don't know how it will feel until it actually happens. You work so hard for your parents and for your siblings, and just be able to have one day where you can just acknowledge all your hard work is just unbelievable. I'm just so ecstatic." Riddick became the first Notre Dame running back to be drafted since Julius Jones, who went in the second round in 2004. From Blue And Gold To Brown Slaughter was denied a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA after an Achilles injury cost him 10 games in 2012. Nearly healthy, the next time the safety takes the field will be in a Cleveland Browns jersey. Whether that's this year or in 2014 is still unclear. "I feel like things are going to be okay," Slaughter said at a Cleveland news conference. "I'm about 90 percent now. I'm able to do sprinting and cutting, and I've been doing bag drills,