by Leprechaun Express & Steve Welsh
“… 2016 is simply when the wheels fell off. Kelly’s deficiencies have been noticeable for some time. The disturbing way in which he completely mishandled the death of student videographer Declan Sullivan and his marked disinterest in the suicide of Lizzy Seeberg weren’t enough to get Notre Dame’s attention. …”
“Notre Dame defensive lineman Jerry Tillery has tweeted an apology for kicking USC running back Aca’Cedric Ware in the helmet while Ware was on the ground with an apparent head injury and stomping on the foot of USC offensive tackle Zach Banner while he was on the ground.”
“Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick has maintained all season long that coach Brian Kelly would return to South Bend in 2017, but Swarbrick can only guarantee that he has no plans to fire Kelly. He doesn’t know what might be in Kelly’s plans, and according to one report, Kelly’s plans just might involve leaving on his own. Yahoo’s Pat Forde is reporting that Kelly ‘has reached out through representatives to explore coaching options outside Notre Dame.'”
“In a hotel room in California late Saturday night, doubling down on recruiting and auditing the existing spring practice structure, Brian Kelly was eventually nudged out of his cocoon. … ”
“Notre Dame defensive lineman Jerry Tillery apologized Monday for his actions in Saturday’s loss at USC, in which the sophomore appeared to nudge one injured Trojans player in the head and step on the foot of another during a fourth-quarter drive. ….”
“Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly says he is ”fully committed” to staying at the school after the Fighting Irish finished with their second-worst record in five decades. An embarrassing 45-27 loss to USC left Notre Dame with a 4-8 mark. Kelly stated his intentions in a statement released by the school early Sunday ….”
“Notre Dame has a young team, and a talented team. We found out this year that both sides of the ball simply just don’t quite know how to win, but this team can be turned around. New faces will be plentiful next season, and I believe that to be a good thing. Despite Deshone Kizer, the quarterback and arguably team MVP most likely heading to the NFL Draft, I believe that this team can absolutely find its footing. …
“‘I want to take full responsibility for my actions on Saturday. I am truly sorry. I acted in a way that was out of character for me. What I displayed in those two instances were completely unbecoming and not indicative of the kind of player or person I am. My actions in those two instances do not represent what my family or Notre Dame has molded me to be. I want to especially apologize to Aca’Cedric, Zach, their families and anyone else affected by what I did. I assure you I will learn and grow from this moment and become a better man because of it.'”
“Notre Dame finished this season with a 4-8 record, its worst mark since 2007, leaving head coach Brian Kelly’s future with the program up in the air. ….”
“A lot of things have to go wrong for a preseason 10th-ranked team to fall to 4-8 at season’s end. Notre Dame’s 12th losing season in a century, and fourth this millennium, featured breakdowns on multiple levels. Here are 10 reasons to help explain what went wrong ….”