Saturday, August 16, 2014

Notre Dame Conducts Academic Fraud Investigation

ESPN:
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly expressed his disappointment Saturday about the school's academic misconduct investigation involving four of his players, saying that he was shocked and disappointed when athletic director Jack Swarbrick called him into his office Thursday to inform him of the news.
"I will be on the outside looking in as it relates to this ongoing process," Kelly said.
Speaking publicly for the first time since news broke Friday that DaVaris DanielsKeiVarae RussellIshaq Williams and Kendall Moore would be withheld from practicing with the Fighting Irish because of potential academic misconduct, Kelly acknowledged the personnel hits his program has taken in recent years because of the school's academic demands, while also saying that he took the Notre Dame job five years ago because he wanted to be associated at a place with such high standards.
Friday's news was the latest academic-related hit Notre Dame's prominent athletic teams have taken in the last 15 months, as the school suspended Golson, the football team's starting quarterback, last fall semester following what Golson called "poor academic judgment" the previous spring. Golson was re-instated last winter.
Daniels, Notre Dame's top wide receiver, and Jerian Grant, the basketball team's leading scorer, were in similar situations as Golson, being suspended for the spring semester this year before being reinstated in June. (Daniels had cited poor grades for his suspension, while Grant cited poor judgment.)
Now Daniels is among a group of football players -- including three starters -- that is being investigated internally for academic misconduct.
Kelly said he has not talked to the four players being investigated, clarifying that they cannot practice or play with the team but are welcome in the football building for meals and other activities. He said he will withhold them from team and position meetings for now, and he said that he has not been told of any other players on his current team who are being investigated.
Kelly said that he has not been interviewed or investigated himself.
Daniels, Russell, Williams and Moore were a part of Notre Dame's 2012 team that went 12-1 and lost in the BCS national championship game to Alabama. The Rev. John Jenkins, the school's president, said Friday that the school would vacate victories if it determines players have been ineligible during past competition.
Kelly said a potential vacating of the Irish's 2012 wins would not alter his view of that season's accomplishments.
Vacating wins is the stupidest activity known to mankind.  When it comes down to it, college football records are a joke, because all of any successful team's wins could be vacated at any time.  Look at USC during the Reggie Bush era, Ohio State at the end of Tressel's reign, or Penn State for the 13 years after they found out Jerry Sandusky liked fucking boys.  Why we have an unpaid minor league football and basketball feeder system tied to institutions of higher learning is something I just don't understand.  Why should these guys pretend to be college students just to play sports?  Couldn't they go into a pro minor league system and be guaranteed a college scholarship if the sports thing doesn't work out?  It's a lot more transparent and a lot less exploitative and hypocritical than the system we currently have, but there is a ton of money going to the Ohio States, Notre Dames, Michigans, Alabamas and such in the world for the current slave system to go away.

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