Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Cardinals in April. The personal triumph of Floyd proved that second chances are sometimes the best course for a young man. But did Floyd's full pardon also send a message of invincibility to his teammates? Ongoing alcohol-related arrests on the football team make this a legitimate question, and have once again put Kelly in a familiar situation he's no doubt tired of finding him- self and his team in. short leash. I met with our team. They clearly know how I feel about it." One of the first issues Kelly had to deal with when he took the job at Notre Dame in 2010 was the alcohol-related arrest of eight of his players at a party. Kelly sent a stern message to his entire team at the time, and he publicly called the episode a "teachable moment." "Our players clearly know that I'm not happy about reading about Notre Dame in the newspapers when it comes to things like this," Kelly said. "They'll have a very the term "glue guy" to describe senior forward Scott Martin's contributions to the team. Martin didn't lead the Irish in scoring or rebounding last season, but he did lead them in leadership and reliability. So you can imagine the excitement from both the Irish head basketball coach Mike Brey fondly used MY FAVORITE MARTIN coach and the player when the NCAA recently granted Martin a sixth season of eligibility and a chance to carry this Irish team onto what should be a legitimate run at a Big East title in 2012-13. With Martin back as the experienced glue guy to a rocky road for Martin. But through it all, he has grown into a terrific player and an even better ambassador for the University of Notre Dame. Welcome back. and are Kelly's players even paying atten- tion, or has the attitude in the program be- come one of entitlement because of how Floyd's situation played out? The potential end results between Rees and Floyd are hard to compare. Each of these situations needs to be evaluated case by case, hopefully while keeping football out of it. Floyd was clearly an All-American can- didate and the most dynamic player on the Notre Dame roster. Rees has been a starter the last two seasons, but turnover problems on the field and some stiff competition at the quarterback position made his football future uncertain, even before his arrest. Kelly said leadership and preparation this But do actions speak louder than words, offseaon would go a long way to determin- ing who would win the starting quarterback job in the fall, so obviously legal troubles are not what Kelly was looking for. The university and the legal system will set a course in action for Rees' future with the football program, but Kelly will ultimately have plenty of input. squad that essentially has every contributor back, this could prove to be the best team Brey has ever fielded. Injuries, surgery and transfer rules have made for a As he did in 2010 with the eight arrests at the party and again last season with Floyd, Kelly has another "teachable moment" in front of him with Rees. And given the seri- ousness of the allegations, how Kelly handles the Rees situation could help to curb what is becoming a troubling pattern of bad deci- sions and alcohol-related arrests, and not just boys being boys. ✦ Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at tburlage@blueandgold.com JUNE/JULY 2012 6