Football Sh**lock : Notre Dame must fire Kelly - Page 2

**Shogun** · 10-29-2010, 04:33 PM

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegefoot...t-death-102910

Quote:

There are some mistakes coaches can’t survive. Brian Kelly made one Wednesday.

Before Notre Dame reaches a financial settlement with the family of Declan Sullivan, the 20-year-old videographer who died in a tragic practice accident, the school must sever ties with its first-year head football coach.

Kelly should not coach the Irish on Saturday when they take on Tulsa.

We don’t need a thorough and exhaustive investigation to recognize Kelly’s negligence. A coach’s most important job, particularly at the amateur level, is to take every reasonable precaution to ensure the safety of the young people under his control.

Kelly failed in the worst way possible.

In recent years, Notre Dame dismissed Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham and Charlie Weis for failing to win enough games. The school canned George O’Leary for exaggerating on his resume.

Those "crimes" pale in comparison to allowing student managers to go up in 50-foot-tall lifts to film practice in hazardous wind conditions.

Mitigating circumstances do not matter. Notre Dame’s video coordinator should not be held responsible. Declan Sullivan, who tweeted before and during practice the weather conditions were terrifying and life threatening, certainly isn’t to blame.

The head football coach has final say over everything that transpires on the practice field. Everything. That’s why Ohio State’s Jim Tressel moved the Buckeyes’ practice inside on Tuesday when wind gusts made conditions unsafe.

“I don’t know if we’ll be inside or out,” Tressel told Ohio reporters 24 hours before the Notre Dame tragedy. “It looks a little nasty. I worry about our cameramen, their well-being up there 50 feet in the air.”

That’s the proper mindset of a head football coach. He’s paranoid about everything.

On Tuesday, Kelly and the Irish practiced indoors because of tornado warnings. On Wednesday, Kelly chose to take the Irish out into the elements. Coaches love to say, “If we’re going to play in the North Pole, we’re going to practice in the North Pole.”

That’s fine for the players. Student videographers don’t film games from 50-foot lifts on Saturdays. Not to mention lifts of the kind that aren’t recommended for use in winds above 25 mph.

Kelly’s negligence is inexcusable. He ignored the risks. Notre Dame should treat Kelly like a drunk driver whose negligent behavior killed a passenger or another driver. An apology and a financial settlement are not enough.

Please do not read this as a demonization of Brian Kelly.

Having been young and stupid, I know how people make the mistake of drinking and driving. When I read about a drunk-driving tragedy, I have sympathy for all parties involved.

Having played college football and worked with coaches most of my life, I know how Kelly made this mistake. His team is soft. He wanted to test his players mentally and physically in difficult conditions and he wanted to grade the test on tape.

I get it. And I get that he’s experiencing terrible emotional pain.

But there are some mistakes coaches just can’t make without suffering stiff repercussions. This is one.

This is worse than a recruiting violation or a sex scandal or even academic fraud. This is a 20-year-old kid who lost his life when he absolutely didn’t have to. This is a fundamental failure.

Notre Dame and athletic director Jack Swarbrick have no choice but to remove Kelly from his position. On Thursday, during a news conference, Swarbrick seemed most interested in making sure he retained his job and minimizing the public-relations damage.

Swarbrick made it clear that he was at practice less than four or five minutes before the lift holding Sullivan fell over. Swarbrick told reporters that he was on a conference call before he walked over to practice — the inference being he wasn’t there long enough to tell Sullivan to come down from the lift.

Swarbrick then suggested the winds gusted with an unprecedented ferocity, leading to the accident that killed Sullivan.

“Things started flying by me that otherwise had been stationary for all of practice,” Swarbrick said. “Gatorade containers, towels, etc. I noticed the netting on the goal posts start to bend dramatically, and I heard a crash.”

How does Swarbrick know what was “stationary for all of practice” if he only arrived four or five minutes before the crash? And given the weather reports for that part of northern Indiana on Wednesday, it’s ridiculous for Swarbrick to suggest the 50-mph wind gusts were surprising.

Notre Dame might need a new coach and AD.

I really don't know what to make of this whole mess. I don't think you can difinitively put the blame on Kelly, or any one person. Its sad to see this happen and the kid was tweeting about how afraid he was. What the hell.

**Shogun** · 10-29-2010, 05:57 PM

Whatever happens, If you guys have ever had the encounters with OSHA as I have had, They don't **** around at all and some shit will be done.

**The Franchise** · 10-29-2010, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shogun

Whatever happens, If you guys have ever had the encounters with OSHA as I have had, They don't **** around at all and some shit will be done.

Oh yeah.....ND is about to get ****ed up the ass by OSHA.

I just don't see how Kelly deserves to get fired for this.

Spott · 10-29-2010, 06:04 PM

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Originally Posted by Pestilence

Is every coach who leaves a team a douchebag now? JFC.

No, but the ones that recruit kids to come to his school, preach all season long about things like teamwork and loyalty only to abandon the team the minute that another job comes along are.

Brock · 10-29-2010, 06:05 PM

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Originally Posted by Spott

No, but the ones that recruit kids to come to his school, preach all season long about things like teamwork and loyalty only to abandon the team the minute that another job comes along are.

So, basically, every football coach except Joe Paterno sucks.

**The Franchise** · 10-29-2010, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spott

No, but the ones that recruit kids to come to his school, preach all season long about things like teamwork and loyalty only to abandon the team the minute that another job comes along are.

So basically every coach then.

Do you think that coaches don't preach that shit....and instead tell the players that there may be a day in the future when they leave for greener pastures?

**OnTheWarpath15** · 10-29-2010, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brock

So, basically, every football coach except Joe Paterno sucks.

Exactly.

College football is as much a business as the NFL.

Spott · 10-29-2010, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brock

So, basically, every football coach except Joe Paterno sucks.

No, that's not what I said. He could have at least coached the bowl game instead of just basically leaving in the middle of the night and running out on the team at the drop of a hat. I'm sure you'd feel the same way if Self just quit after the Big 12 tournament and let some interim take over because Duke made him a job offer.

**The Franchise** · 10-29-2010, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spott

No, that's not what I said. He could have at least coached the bowl game instead of just basically leaving in the middle of the night and running out on the team at the drop of a hat. I'm sure you'd feel the same way if Self just quit after the Big 12 tournament and let some interim take over because Duke made him a job offer.

He didn't leave in the middle of the night. He had to get to Notre Dame because he had to start recruiting for the next season. At that time....THAT was his job.

Brock · 10-29-2010, 06:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spott

No, that's not what I said. He could have at least coached the bowl game instead of just basically leaving in the middle of the night and running out on the team at the drop of a hat. I'm sure you'd feel the same way if Self just quit after the Big 12 tournament and let some interim take over because Duke made him a job offer.

Not even close to the same thing. Cincinnati wasn't worth a shit before he got there, they have nothing to complain about.

**Mr. Flopnuts** · 10-29-2010, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brock

What if the coach made the call to practice outside and the kid just went up there to do his job without being told to?

Secondly, he's a football coach, probably not all that knowledgeable about the working limits of industrial equipment. It's the equivalent of blaming Wade Phillips because their practice dome fell over.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pestilence

Everyone involved bears SOME responsibility.

But I wouldn't expect anything less from Whitlock........he's been on Notre Dames jock ever since Willingham was fired.

Yeah, I'm with you both. I'm just saying IF he's the decision maker, he bears some responsibility. I highly doubt he handles that though.

PornChief · 10-29-2010, 07:00 PM

I'll assume that like in my country, you need a certificate to operate a scissor lift or cherry picker, and if that's the case the kid should have had one, and if so he would have been trained and have known better than use the damn thing in a gale. Can't help but feel sorry for the kid and his family though.
In the old days we didn't have health and safety committees for everything under the sun, used to have this old fashioned thing called common sense nobody uses anymore. For example, you can't change a light bulb yourself anymore, you gotta call and electrician.

**DeezNutz** · 10-29-2010, 07:00 PM

Yeah, a lot of 20-year-olds will tell the HC of one of the most, if not "the" most, storied programs in the country to "**** off" if the job demands otherwise.

Getting ready to throw the football 70-yards. /cp

Demonpenz · 10-29-2010, 07:11 PM

why do you need a person up there. just get a broom and duct tape.

**Bugeater** · 10-29-2010, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PornChief

I'll assume that like in my country, you need a certificate to operate a scissor lift or cherry picker, and if that's the case the kid should have had one, and if so he would have been trained and have known better than use the damn thing in a gale. Can't help but feel sorry for the kid and his family though.
In the old days we didn't have health and safety committees for everything under the sun, used to have this old fashioned thing called common sense nobody uses anymore. For example, you can't change a light bulb yourself anymore, you gotta call and electrician.

Negatory, they let anyone operate those things here.

**Mr. Flopnuts** · 10-29-2010, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Demonpenz

why do you need a person up there. just get a broom and duct tape.

You don't even need a broom. Just tape a dozen week old Long John Silver's chicken planks together and use those.

10-29-2010, 07:00 PM	#26
PornChief Starter Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Australia Casino cash: $10005180	I'll assume that like in my country, you need a certificate to operate a scissor lift or cherry picker, and if that's the case the kid should have had one, and if so he would have been trained and have known better than use the damn thing in a gale. Can't help but feel sorry for the kid and his family though. In the old days we didn't have health and safety committees for everything under the sun, used to have this old fashioned thing called common sense nobody uses anymore. For example, you can't change a light bulb yourself anymore, you gotta call and electrician.
Posts: 590

10-29-2010, 07:11 PM	#28
Demonpenz Woman should only make babies Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Apartment "G UNIT!" Casino cash: $-383864	why do you need a person up there. just get a broom and duct tape. __________________
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