By and large Notre Dame gets a pass here on CC. I'm not really interested in getting into flame war with a rival that has produced some great games with us over the years. Most ND fans/alums that I come in contact with are good natured and respectful, they rabidly defend their team and for the most part keep the trash talk fairly civil.
Charlie Weis has taken his fair share of heat for numerous things so we haven't seen the need to pile on but this caught my eye today.
The former Notre Dame quarterback will not be released from his scholarship, the school decided Tuesday.
"We don't believe that Demetrius' departure was handled appropriately," Notre Dame athletics director Kevin White said.
...Weis said he wasn't involved in whether or not Jones was released from his scholarship. The decision is usually made between institutions and athletic directors.
Now, per NCAA transfer rules, Jones will have to wait one year and pay one year's worth of tuition at Northern Illinois before the Huskies are allowed to place him on scholarship. The school's Web site lists the typical one year of tuition and room and board at $14,530.
Northern Illinois sports information director Donna Turner said the Huskies are at their scholarship limit for the 2007 season anyway and that Jones hasn't been cleared to practice yet as he is going through university processing on his transfer.
Two things here, Weis could certainly tell the AD to let it go and close the whole chapter on this so I am not buying that he has nothing to do with it. As for NIU being at their limit, fine one has nothing to do with the other. If Jones has to fork over the cash then that is how it goes but ND could certainly make it easier for the kid and not look petty by not letting him go. I mean this Notre Dame right?
Now, for all the crap that Pete Carroll took in some circles with Jamere Holland and his attempt to transfer to Florida or Oregon it should be noted that PC was concerned that there was some foul play going on with how Holland was dismissed/transferred from the team at least in regards to UF. Oregon is another Pac 10 school so he no obligation to let Holland go within the conference.
This Weis situation is different. It may not look good on Jones' part as to how this was handled but it is also clear that his wanting to go to NIU is in no way a threat to ND and he should be let out of his scholarship. It would seem to me that letting him go frees up another roster spot from a player that has interest in staying at ND. Of course I find it interesting that the AD thinks it wasn't handled correctly when everyone and their mother knew that Weis was holding the starting QB spot open for Clausen while he recovered from elbow surgery. Jones was a stop-gap plain and simple and Weis didn't have the stones to say that up front. Things will get worse before they get better at ND and it will all be on Weis' watch I don't care what he did in the NFL. He basically hid behind Belichick in New England and let him take the heat but now he is front and center so this one is on him, just like everything else.
Good luck with that...