Allen Pinkett On Way Back From Ireland, Won't Be On Saturday's Broadcast
(CBS) Notre Dame radio analyst Allen Pinkett is on his way back from Ireland less than 48 hours before the Irish are set to play Navy in Dublin, according a source with knowledge of the situation.
Pinkett has come under fire for comments he made Wednesday on The McNeil And Spiegel Show in which he claimed Notre Name needs "criminals" to be successful.
In the following statement, the Notre Dame IMG Network confirmed to the Chicago Tribune Thursday that Pinkett won't be a part of Saturday's broadcast:
"Allen Pinkett, a commentator on the IMG Notre Dame Radio Network who made unacceptable comments this week about student athletes, will not be part of this weekend's broadcast in Dublin. Don Criqui and Jeff Jeffers will handle the broadcast duties. Notre Dame taking on Navy at the Emerald Isle Classic in Dublin is an historic game showcasing the very best of American college sports. The event deserves to be free of distraction. Further decisions on this matter will be made in the coming days."
LISTEN: Allen Pinkett on The McNeil and Spiegel Show
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IMG originally released a statement Wednesday voicing displeasure with the comments.
"The Notre Dame IMG Network is extremely disappointed in the comments made by Allen Pinkett in his radio interview," the statement said. "We completely disagree with those comments. As his employer, we will be determining disciplinary action to be taken."
Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick was also unhappy with Pinkett.
"Allen Pinkett's suggestion that Notre Dame needs more 'bad guys' on its football team is nonsense," he said in a statement. "Of course, Allen does not speak for the University, but we could not disagree more with this observation."
Pinkett issued an apology Wednesday after flying with the team to Ireland.
The comments came during a discussion on 670 The Score about recent off the field issues involving Notre Dame football players.
"I've always felt like, to have a successful team, you gotta have a few bad citizens on the team," Pinkett told The McNeil and Spiegel Show. "I mean, that's how Ohio State used to win all the time. They would have two or three guys that were criminals. That just adds to the chemistry of the team. I think Notre Dame is growing because maybe they have some guys that are doing something worthy of a suspension, which creates edge on the football team. You can't have a football team full of choir boys. You get your butt kicked if you have a team full of choir boys. You gotta have a little bit of edge, but the coach has to be the dictator and ultimate ruler."
When given a chance to clarify his comments, Pinkett said:
"I absolutely meant that," he said. "Chemistry is so important on a football team. You have to have a couple of bad guys that sorta teeter on that edge to add to the flavor of the guys that are going to always do right. … You look at the teams that have one in the past. They always have a couple of criminals."
