ND's Floyd Still Waiting For Status Update
The day after Notre Dame's Michael Floyd ran into trouble with the law over alcohol, he was suspended and supposed to have a hearing to determine his status with the football team. The Irish's star player and coach Kelly are still waiting for a decision.
Notre Dame has five practices remaining before its annual spring football game, and the Irish have moved on without suspended star receiver Michael Floyd.
Coach Brian Kelly suspended Floyd on March 21, the day after Floyd was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving. It was Floyd's third run-in with the law over alcohol since 2009.
Kelly said last week his understanding was that Floyd was to have a hearing before the Office of Residence Life, the school's disciplinary arm. But on Wednesday, Kelly had no update on Floyd's status.
"I have not heard one word. I'm just like everybody here," Kelly said. "We go to work every day. We don't think about it. I know Michael, there's going to be a time and place for that, but we're all going and doing our job and when it happens, it happens."
Floyd is Notre Dame's career leader in touchdown catches (28) and ranks second in school history in catches (171) and third in receiving yards (2,539). He decided to forgo the NFL and come back to school for one more season and had been named a captain.
Floyd is scheduled for a court date May 2.
Asked what lesson can be learned from the incident, Kelly said it's that alcohol and wise decisions seldom mix.
"It's college and we want kids to make good decisions. Alcohol never seems to be a conduit toward good decisions," Kelly said. "As a football coach, but as somebody that is in college athletics, I think we all look at it the same way: when alcohol is involved, bad decisions certainly follow."
Kelly said that standout linebacker Manti T'eo, who led the team in tackles last season and then had arthroscopic knee surgery, would probably not play in the spring game on April 16, although he is participating in some of the spring drills.
The Irish are still sorting out the competition for the starting quarterback's job. Dayne Crist and Tommy Rees are considered the top two candidates with Andrew Hendrix and early enrollee Everett Golson in the mix. The speedy Golson is still trying to learn the offense just months after leaving high school - a situation that Rees was in as an early enrollee last year.
Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
