Kelly sends right kind of message to players with suspension

Less than 24 hours after I posted that we would be no closer this week to finding out who the Notre Dame starting Quarterback would be for a while longer, then Notre Dame Fighting Irish Head Coach Brian Kelly drops a bombshell.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Kelly announced that last year's starting QB, Tommy Rees and second team LB Carlo Calabrese are to be suspended for season opener against Navy in Dublin, Ireland.

The suspension was deemed warranted by the Fighting Irish Head coach as a result of both Rees and Calabrese were arrested, as police broke up an off-campus party in early May.

"Our players understand that it’s a privilege to be associated with the University of Notre Dame and its football program, but with that comes great responsibility," Kelly said in a statement.

"Carlo and Tommy put themselves in a situation that when given a choice between two distinct paths, they responded with a set of poor decisions. This conduct was inconsistent with my expectations for our football program – especially our veteran, team leaders. Carlo and Tommy will not travel with the team to Ireland and can attempt to climb the depth chart following the conclusion of their respective suspensions."

Last week, Rees pleaded guilty to misdemeanor resisting law enforcement and illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor. The 20-year-old junior was sentenced to 50 hours of community service and 11 months of probation.

Whichever way Irish fans want to paint this up, we will have a brand new starting QB at the helm in Aviva Stadium for the season opener against Navy.

Right now, you would have to give Everett Golson the nod over Andrew Hendrix. Sources close to the university tell me that true freshman Gunner Kiel will be redshirted.


Jason is owner and author of godcountrynotredame.me and writes for both IrishCentral and domersportsreport You can find Jason on twitter at @jayomahony