Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Criminal Minds Former Notre Dame star Allen Pinkett makes controversial statements By Lou Somogyi As the second-leading rusher in Notre Dame history, Allen Pinkett (1982-85) knew how to get out of tight spots with the best of them. Unfortunately, three days before the Sept. 1 opener against Navy, the former two-time All-American was thrown for a huge loss in his professional career with the IMG Notre Dame Sports Network. During an Aug. 29 show on WSCR-AM (670) radio in Chicago, Pinkett noted that the recent suspensions of running back Cierre Wood (page 18) and defensive end Justin Utupo, along with previous ones to quarterback Tommy Rees and linebacker Carlo Calabrese in the spring, were not necessarily a negative. “I’ve always felt like to have a successful team you’ve got to have a few bad citizens on the team,” Pinkett said. “I mean, that’s how Ohio State used to win all the time. They would have two or three guys that were criminals, and that just adds to the chemistry of the team. “So I think Notre Dame is growing, because maybe they have some guys that are doing something worthy of suspension, which creates edge on the football team … but the coach has to be the dictator and the ultimate ruler. “Here’s my opinion: You don’t hand out suspensions unless you know you’ve got somebody behind that guy that can make plays.” Strong chemistry on a football team, according to Pinkett, almost mandates the need for loose cannons in a violent sport such as football. “You have to have a couple of bad guys that sort of teeter on that edge to add to the flavor of the guys that are going to always do right,” Pinkett said. “You look at the teams that have won in the past. They always have a couple of criminals.” Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick quickly responded with a released statement from the school. “Allen Pinkett’s suggestion that Notre Dame needs more ‘bad guys’ on its football team is nonsense,” Swarbrick said. “Of course, Allen does not speak for the university, but we could not disagree more with this observation.” Former Notre Dame quarterback Joe Theismann (1968-70) also expressed his own indignation on the Carmen, Jurko and Harry Show on ESPN Chicago (1000). Theismann said Pinkett was “out of touch with life,” called his opinions “ridiculous” and “absurd,” and stated he would never want Pinkett to coach his kids. That same day, IMG College Sports Network stated it was “extremely disappointed” in Pinkett’s comments, disagreed with them and will be discussing disciplinary action. Upon further review, Pinkett released his own statement: “It’s clear that I chose my words poorly and that an apology is in order for these inappropriate comments. My words do not reflect the strong pride and passion I have for the Notre Dame football program. “I understand that there may be consequences to my actions and accept whatever discipline is imposed.” This would have been Pinkett’s ninth season with IMG serving as the analyst to complement Don Criqui’s play-by-play call, but he was not permitted to do the game in Ireland. Andrew Giangola, vice president of communicates for IMG College, issued the following statement two days before the Navy game. “Allen Pinkett, a commentator on the IMG Notre Dame Radio Network who made unacceptable comments this week about student athletes, will not be part of this weekend’s broadcast in Dublin. Don Criqui and Jeff Jeffers will handle the broadcast duties. “Notre Dame taking on Navy at the Emerald Isle Classic in Dublin is a historic game showcasing the very best of American college sports. The event deserves to be free of distraction. Further decisions on this matter will be made in the coming days.”