Irish Hypocrisy

This is Notre Dame.  We set the bar.  We excel morally and socially where other schools fail.

Now, a large majority of the members of this site have decided that "kids will be kids" and that we should forgive Yeatman yet again.  But that's the problem.  This is the second time in a year.  That's a pattern of breaking both team rules, university policy and the law.

If this was a kid from Penn State we'd be talking about how Joe Paterno doesn't discipline his players.  If it was a player for an SEC team, we'd be talking about how they're just a bunch of irresponsible thugs.

Notre Dame takes pride in well-behaved scholarship citizens.  We emphasize the "student" in student-athlete.  We have higher standards.

So if all of that is true, Yeatman needs to be dismissed for at least a full year. 

I was fine with the punishment for the DUI he received in January.  It was fairly proportionate to the punishment dealt out for Kyle McAlarney's drug possession.

I'm fine with second chances.  In fact, if I was running the university, I'd give Yeatman a third chance.  I don't personally believe that attending a college party as a sophomore should result in a dismissal.

Unfortunately, it's not my policy.  It's Fr. Jenkins' policy.  And his policy isn't normally forgiving to repeat offenders.  The fact that Yeatman is a scholarship athlete should hold him to even a higher standard than the average Notre Dame student.

My proposed punishment for Yeatman?  Remove his scholarship.  Allow him to attend Notre Dame on his own dime for one year.  He can practice with both the football and lacrosse teams, but cannot play in any games for one calender year.  After that year, evaluate him again and if he proves he can stay out of trouble, reinstate his scholarship.

Maybe that's all fair.  Maybe he doesn't deserve dismissal.  But on the other hand, isn't that what we call for from other schools? 

This is Notre Dame.  We set the bar.  Now we're the ones trying to play limbo.