Notre Dame PG Expelled

[SGWarrior]

See espn article below. 


http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2740098

[Tommy Brice for Coach]

Man... that guy's life is ruined because of a little bit of pot. I can't help but feel bad for him.

[Coach Norman Dale]

Wow!  No slap on the wrist here.  They hammered this guy -- expelling him after letting him start spring semester classes. 

[AlumKCof93]

Wow, that does seem awfully severe.  The kid put himself in a bit situation, but expelling him is a drastic response.  What would Fresno State do?

[rocky_warrior]

Yes, harsh punishment.  But I don't think his life is ruined by this - it's just a bump in the road.  If ND doesn't want to give him a chance, I'm sure there are a number of (high) Div 1 programs that will gladly accept his transfer after seeing the numbers he put up so far this year.  He still will have a couple years of eligibility left, and can make good use of them.  Heck, there's a couple other programs in Indiana that may take him...

[Warrior1996]

This an absolutely insane decision.  You'd think he killed somebody.  It's one thing to try to seperate your institution from the likes of Florida State or Miami but this is taking it too far.

[spiral97]

thought about this over lunch.. almost makes me wonder if they realized that their team is doing fairly well without him over the past month or so and decided they didn't really need him and could use the schollie next year for a different player.

even if that speculation is flat out wrong the expulsion is disappointing to me.. when a university accepts a student they have some portion of moral responsibility to better that student.  when I went camping with the boy scouts, the rule was that you leave the campsite looking better than when you got there.. Odds are that he didn't get into pot until after he started attending notre dame.. to throw him out without attempting to reform him (school probation, etc.) is kinda like driving away from the campgrounds with your trash laying all over the site.

the better thing to do would be to suspend him from the team the rest of this season, put him on a probation where he was not allowed to practice or play with the team and was required to attend regular counseling, maintain a specific minimum gpa, and pass drug tests through the rest of the year.  If he failed to do any of these things THEN expel him under THOSE conditions.

[dwaderoy2004]

i can't imagine they decided to basically get rid of him to free up his scholarship.  he's only a sophomore, and he had had his best game of the season earlier in the night he was caught.  he's a good player.  honestly, notre dame seems to come up looking worse on this one than mcalarney...

[Nukem2]

If so, just the way it is. 

[ozmetal71]

Notre Dame made a really stupid move here and has really made their fan base extremely upset with this.  I can't believe they expelled a kid for smoking pot as a first offense. 

Notre Dame comes out looking really bad here, which should delight many on this board.

Think about how many kids would be expelled from Marquette if MU had this policy.  I know I would have been kicked out of school.

[ecompt]

I don't think UW suspended him for a second.

[AlumKCof93]

When Macalarney was first arrested, I thought it was reported that he might play the game that day.  I thought that was wrong and thought it was wise to suspend him until a board of his peers could review the case and make an appropriate decision of how this should be hendled.  Based on posts already made, its pretty clear that the consensus is that ND is being heavy handed and throwing a kid overboard to save its image.  Of course, there could always be more to the story.

[Pakuni]

Based on posts already made, its pretty clear that the consensus is that ND is being heavy handed and throwing a kid overboard to save its image.  Of course, there could always be more to the story.

And I think that's a point some should consider before throwing Notre Dame under the bus or accusing them of being unfair. We have no idea whether this was McAlarney first, second or fifth strike.

[spiral97]

And I think that's a point some should consider before throwing Notre Dame under the bus or accusing them of being unfair.

but... we LIKE to throw Note Dame under the bus.. deserved or not (and they ALWAYS deserve it)! 

[Marquette84]

the better thing to do would be to suspend him from the team the rest of this season, put him on a probation where he was not allowed to practice or play with the team and was required to attend regular counseling, maintain a specific minimum gpa, and pass drug tests through the rest of the year.  If he failed to do any of these things THEN expel him under THOSE conditions.

I don't think this is an ordinary student--this is a student given extraordinary benefits as a member of ND's basketball team--starting with completely paid tuition + room & board + nationwide exposure.  The commitment in return is that the player isn't going to embarass the university.

No, an ordinary kid wouldn't have been expelled for this infraction.  Then again, an ordinary kid doesn't make national headlines for this infraction.

I'm sure that McAlarney knew the penalties for violating drug arrest rules would be pretty harsh--I wouldn't be so quick to let him off as if he were some ordinary joe.  He wasn't when he arrived--nor is he as he leaves.

[AlumKCof93]

In reading this story, I can't help but recall Zac McCall.  Does anyone remember exactly what happened with him.  Was it similar?

[IAmMarquette]

Can anybody clarify... was he suspended or expelled? There is a difference. The article is confusing as it states he has been suspended for the remainder of the semester. If this is the case, bummer, but we'll see him next year. On the other hand, if he's been expelled (as the article implies with "He can apply for readmission") then that's a shame. Anybody know exactly what's up?

[77ncaachamps]

"Poor" kid was made an example of...I say "poor" cuz the dumb dolt decided to associate himself with the leafy green.

With that said, ND is just flexing their muscles on this one. If it was a football matter, I think it would have been dealt differently.

However, if ND upholds this policy in every case and matter then good for them. At least they're consistent.

Sad thing is...we'll never know the whole truth.

[State]

Let's turn the tables....what if:

How do you think MU would handle the same situation?

What would it take for a player to be kicked of the team??  (we've seen attitude, grades, 'greenies', skill)

How do you think Crean would handle
1. underage drinking
2. being at a bar underage

As a recent grad. we all know the above happen all the time.  Just wondering how OUR team/school would handle it.

Any thoughts??

[silverback]

Their stated policy is/was illegal drug use = expulsion for all students.  Athletes aren't being singled out here.  Their student body KNOWS this going in, and KNOWS this while they're there.  And, I doubt ND is the only private school to have such a policy.

Now, if ND doesn't enforce that policy with an athlete..."Double standard!  ND spouts higher standards, and then lets an athlete off the hook!"

When ND does enforce the policy, they're too harsh, too pompous, too holier than thou...

This wasn't sprung on this kid.  He knew the deal going in at ND.  He made a stupid choice and it cost him this opportunity.  He'll land somewhere else.

The question is, does this hurt his NCAA eligibility at all?

[bma725]

In reading this story, I can't help but recall Zac McCall.  Does anyone remember exactly what happened with him.  Was it similar?

McCall was suspended from the team for failing an NCAA administered drug test, but he was allowed to remain in school and practice with the team.  When he then failed another drug test while suspended he was kicked off the team and his scholarship revoked.

[augoman]

I understood McCall's was a first offense scenario, unlike Bo Ellis' where he apologized to the school and community and might have sat out a game.  Also unlike the UW kid from Wisconsin (can't remember his name)... he sat for 2 weeks of pre-conference games then was back in line-up (under BoBo) then he transferred to Iowa.  Damn, what was his name?

[augoman]

I'm wrong, it was under Dick Bennet.

[Mayor McCheese]

I was shocked when I read this, I know Notre Dame likes to keep a good name for themselves, however I doubt if Brady Quinn would have been caught with pot he would have been kicked out, I feel bad for the PG, really do.

[Mayor McCheese]

I understood McCall's was a first offense scenario, unlike Bo Ellis' where he apologized to the school and community and might have sat out a game.  Also unlike the UW kid from Wisconsin (can't remember his name)... he sat for 2 weeks of pre-conference games then was back in line-up (under BoBo) then he transferred to Iowa.  Damn, what was his name?

Sam Okey?