Who was it at ESPN that said Notre Dame is irrelevant? Whatever outlet, or whatever blog, or whatever source that says ND is irrelevant?

Um, yep, totally irrelevant:

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In his Monday Teleconference, Coach Stoops from Oklahoma issued a really great non-denial denial. You can listen to it here (and if you’re interested in this stuff, suggest you do). A partial transcript, quoted below, is also helpful. I’m pretty impressed with his handling of the media. It’s really well done, and despite all the articles (shockingly from OK media outlets) indicating that he’s DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO ND, that’s not at all what Stoops said.

Stoops’ quotes and a few comments:

(Stoops): “The questions come up and like I always say I fully intend to be at Oklahoma, hopefully for a good while.”

LOVE use of the word ‘intend’ in the non-denial denial. Leaves room for things to change. Excellent work there.

“You never know what the good lord brings you, but in the end I couldn’t be more excited about, even through a tough year, the good quality kids we’re working with and the great people here that I work with daily in our administration”

Also love the reference to what the Good Lord can bring you. You know, you never know what He can bring you. Like, say, maybe the HC job at Notre Dame? But yeah, even though the Good Lord might bring that along, he’s really happy and excited about the people he’s working with now. That’s nice, and probably the truth, but it’s no denial.

“And you know I can’t help with all that’s said, but in the end, the players I’m recruiting understand that that’s what I’m excited about and that’s what I intend to do.”

He’s just being honest here, but this is also not a denial. He CAN’T help or change what’s being said in the media and in rumors and all that. But this doesn’t equate to a denial of the ND gig.

(Reporter): “There is officially an opening at Notre Dame. So, you’re not going there?”

(Stoops): “What I am saying is I intend to be at Oklahoma, that’s the only place that right now, yes that I am, what I’m looking to do. I will never confirm or deny whether I talk or not talk to anybody. And, I won’t be interviewing for any jobs.”

Repeat on the use of intend, and now he says that’s what he’s looking to do. I think he’s telling the truth here again, but it’s pretty vague. It’s what he intends to do, it’s what he’s planning, but we all know that plans can change.

And the kicker is the refusing to confirm or deny. The good thing for him is that it closes the book on the questions. He’s letting people know – you can stop asking, because you won’t get anything. But it’s also leaving the door open to an ND deal: I’m not telling you squat, even if it IS happening. So quit asking.

The ‘not interviewing’ thing is a great quote too. Brilliant even. It gives the appearance of his shutting down the rumors, without actually doing so. Because Bob Stoops doesn’t interview. He negotiates. But just because he doesn’t interview for the ND job, doesn’t mean he couldn’t end up the coach at ND.

(Reporter): “I’m not asking if you talked to anybody.”

Reporter’s just being annoying now, and isn’t really asking a question, but he’s fishing for a flat out ‘no’, a blatant refusal, a solid ‘no way’ to the ND job. He’s not gonna get it.

(Stoops): “Well I just said all that.”

Now Coach Stoops is just giving it to this guy, because he’s annoyed. Pretty funny.

(Reporter): “What I’m asking is can you tell me right now that you won’t go to Notre Dame?”

Ummm, unlikely bud.

(Stoops): “What I’m saying is that I’m going to be at Oklahoma next year. So I can’t be in two places at once.”

This is actually the closest thing to a denial that’s out there. He probably meant to say ‘intend to be at Oklahoma’ next year, but this could still be viewed either way. Right now, he plans to be at Oklahoma, and if that’s the case he can’t be at ND. But…if he’s at ND, he can’t be at OK.

(Reporter): “Well then why not just say no?”

Now it just gets funny…non-denial denial to a tee…

(Stoops): “Because I don’t like the way you worded it. So, in the end, I told you what I intend to do. If Joe (Castiglione) and President Boren will have me, that’s what I’m going to do. And that’s where it’s at.”

(Reporter): “How would you have worded it?”

(Stoops): “Not like you, obviously.”

HA.
So yeah, could be Stoops. May not be Stoops. Still have no idea, but if anything this PC makes me think he’s MORE open to a potential move to ND. Not less.

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Rather than read what Stoops said from Oklahoma based reporters, how about you just listen to what he really said? See if that sounds like he shot down anything?

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Small update: We also just got this release via e-mail from ND.

This was apparently sent to students at ND today.

Nov. 30, 2009
For Immediate Release

Weis will not be retained as Notre Dame football coach

University of Notre Dame head football coach Charlie Weis will not be retained, University director of athletics Jack Swarbrick announced today (Nov. 30).

“We have great expectations for our football program, and we have not been able to meet those expectations,” Swarbrick said. “As an alumnus, Charlie understands those goals and expectations better than most, and he’s as disappointed as anyone that we have not achieved the desired results.”

Swarbrick recommended the dismissal Sunday night to Notre Dame’s president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.

“We have established an evaluation process for all of our athletic programs that, in the end, results in a recommendation from Jack to me,” Father Jenkins said. “I accepted Jack’s decision and look forward to working with him on selecting a new head football coach who is the very best choice possible for the University and especially for our student-athletes.

“I am most appreciative to Coach Weis for his service to Notre Dame and our community. He and his family have my prayers and best wishes.”

Weis spent five seasons as Irish head coach from 2005-09, with his teams achieving consecutive records of 9-3 (Fiesta Bowl appearance) in ’05, 10-3 (Sugar Bowl appearance), 3-9, 7-6 (Hawai’i Bowl victory) and 6-6 in ’09 – for an overall 35-27 mark.

Swarbrick announced that Rob Ianello, the Irish assistant head coach/offense, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator, will assume responsibility for football operations until a new coach is hired. Ianello has spent the past five seasons on the Notre Dame staff and previously was part of football staffs at Wisconsin (1990-93, 2003-04), Arizona (1994-2002) and Alabama (1987-89).

Lots of thoughts, not a lot of time.

Ianello in charge of FB operations rather than someone like Corwin Brown being named as “interim HC,” may or may not mean anything.

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Butch Davis to ND? Al Groh? That dude from Buffalo? Sure!

I’m now of the opinion that trying to “contain” the rumors and whatnot is impossible. So let’s dilute ALL of them. Stoops to ND? What about Caroll to ND? What about Gruden? What about that dude who keeps winning high school state championships in your home state? Or that one coordinator from a top NFL team? Who can you come up with? What’s your best “scoop” that nobody could believe but nobody could dispute any more than they could dispute something “real?”

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I’m giving thanks this year for all of you. For stopping by, commenting here and there, roasting and/or heckling, and just generally being interested. We really appreciate it.

I’ll be signing off for a few days to enjoy the holiday with family and friends (I’m not sure if DMQ will be around). Safe travels to you and yours, eat your faces off, and we’ll see you back here next week, just in time for all the ridiculous drama that’s about to un-fold (very slowly).

In the mean time, here’s my Top 10 things I’m thankful for re: Irish Football this year. Yeah, not the easiest task in the world, but here ya go anyway.

10. We’re not Michigan (and therefore we do not suck as only they can). Thank you to everybody who made it possible.
9. USC’s decade of dominance appears to be ending. Thank you Karma. And Mark Sanchez.
8. Clausen to Floyd. Been a thing of beauty. Thank you Jimmy, thank you Michael.
7. The Duche. We haven’t been great, but at least we have some kind of oline this year. Thanks Duche.
6. Urban Meyer wanting to stay at Florida as long as they’ll have him (which we hope is forever). Thanks Universe.
5. Beer. Beer continues to be a very excellent thing. Thank you, beer brewers of the world, for making sweet, sweet beer.
4. Hawaiian Thunder, aka Manti Teo. Been a pleasure watching him mature. Hoping he sticks around and continues what he’s started. What better mission is there than healing Notre Dame football? Thanks for choosing ND Manti.
3. Golden Tate. Been just awesome having this kid on the squad. Here’s to another year. Thanks for the highlights Golden.
2. The HLS Community. At least there’s somewhere we can vent the frustration of the season with some good friends that are somewhat rationale. Thanks crew.
1. Hope. At some point things will be right again, and it will be sweet. Man, I hope it’s soon.

Go Irish.

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Fellas,

I know you’re caught up in a lot right now. Potential coaching changes. The media and “fans” all up in your mix. A season that looked promising not going the way you’d hoped.

Just wanted to let you know: there are thousands, hundreds of thousands, MILLIONS of TRUE Notre Dame fans out there supporting you. Cheering you on. Pulling for you.

The guy that attacked Jimmy? The psychos that talk trash on you on internet forums? The dude that puts up a childish billboard? The people that boo you and your coach? That’s a a small though vocal minority. They make a lot of noise, but those people do not in any way represent what the true Notre Dame fan thinks, feels, or does.

We support you guys. We recognize how much heart you have, how much hard work you put in. We recognize that you’re fighting til the end in each game. And we know you’ve chosen a road more difficult than some others – that you’re balancing a class schedule and difficult academics with a grueling practice, game and ‘life’ schedule. We know that you’re busting your butts to represent Notre Dame well on and off the field. And we know you’re the ones that are most dissatisfied with the results. We know that it’s killing you that the results haven’t been what you, and the fans, wanted. And we know you’ll keep working hard to make it right.

So please, don’t forget the vast majority of us out here that have your backs. If you can, try to ignore the losers that only attack and have negative things to say. And focus your energy on beating Stanford and getting better every day.

Because one day we’ll all stand together with Notre Dame football back atop the College Football Hierarchy, and while those disingenuine ‘fans’ will celebrate and pretend like they’ve supported you all along, we’ll all know who the true warriors are, and we’ll know which fans had your back through the good times AND the bad.

Go Irish. Beat the living crap out of Stanford.

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We all knew it was coming, but Saturday’s loss put the final note on it. This upcoming game and its result just isn’t all that important anymore. I will watch, and I hope we can win it for the Seniors and Charlie, but it’s now all about finding the next guy, getting him up and going, keeping the current recruiting class together, and transitioning the program.

More than any other sentiment, I’d first say Thank You to Charlie. Thank you Charlie, for busting your ass for Notre Dame football. I know you worked harder than any other coach out there. You fought, scratched, and worked hard.

Thank you for taking over a program with a huge hole in it. Not a lot of guys would want that situation. But Charlie beared the burden for us. No, he didn’t do everything perfectly and he’s made plenty of mistakes, but fighting through ‘07 wasn’t something a lot of guys would sign up for. Thanks for signing up.

Thank you also for putting us back into recruits’ living rooms, and for working with the administration to get early enrollment and some other standards altered. After Ty, a lot of recruits had forgotten about ND. Charlie reminded kids across the country that we’re a viable option for top athletes, especially if they care at all about academics.

And thank you for being a high character guy. I know Charlie put his feet in his mouth time and again, but thank you for Pass Right and Hannah & Friends. For caring about opposing team players and your own. For keeping the program clean and scandal-free. For graduating 96% of your kids, tops of all of CFB.

Finally, thank you for caring. Charlie cared as much about this team’s success as any one of us, and we know he’ll remain an ND fan and supporter. He shouldn’t be ostracized (though he probably will be, by many). He shouldn’t be revered obviously, but he shouldn’t be one of those guys that ND fans push out. He was one of us once – just a student/fan sitting in the stadium, cheering on the Irish. He got to live the dream we all share, and he came up (maybe predictably) short. But that doesn’t mean we should hate the guy. He’s still one of us.

I hate the results of the last 3 seasons, but I don’t hate Charlie Weis. He did his best, and his best just wasn’t good enough. His philosophy and style just didn’t work. But he worked his ass off, he recruited good kids that graduated, he ran a clean program, he had 2 solid seasons, and he never gave up.

But now it’s time to move on, to find the guy that can really DO this. With a new AD, I’m at least hopeful. Kevin White clearly had no clue. We’ll find out in the coming weeks if Swarbrick does.

For what it’s worth, my money is on Brian Kelly as the most likely guy. Irish, Catholic, and a proven builder. Experienced HC. I’d be happy with Kelly or Stoops. Everyone else mentioned seems to have a bunch of questions marks to me, and of course there’s no such thing as a sure thing. We all know that. All too well.

Farewell Charlie.

And on to the next chapter of Notre Dame Football history.

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I know this season hasn’t gone the way any of us wanted, and that sucks. But man, there’s 1/6th of the season left, and I plan to enjoy it. I recommend you do the same.

This could be the last 2 times you see Jimmy, Golden, Floyd, Allen and company take the field. Collectively, or as individuals. Although their time at ND hasn’t gone the way they, or we, planned, this is a solid group of kids, and they deserve our support through 2 more games. They’ve been let down by a combination of missed recruiting, questionable coaching, tough breaks and more questionable coaching.

But let’s send them off right, with our cheers echoing into the night, win or lose.

I mean, we all wait for months and months to see the team take the field, and now some people can’t wait for the season to end. I understand it, but I’m fighting that feeling – I want to savor every minute of it. Because as soon as it’s over, I’ll be pining for next August’s kickoff once again.

So regardless of our ho-hum record, and the (again!) turmoil surrounding our coach and therefore program, I’m tossing on the jersey, doing push-ups at 9am and cracking the first beer immediately after.

Because, after all, this is Notre Dame football, and there’s nothing better than it in the world. I love Saturdays in the Fall, and I only get 2 more guaranteed. And I plan to enjoy them.

I’m hoping the players do as well, and that they can go out there with a chip on their shoulders to leave this season, and potentially their college careers, with a couple W’s under their belt. Because despite all this (deserved) crap, Winning cures all.

Let’s strap on the chin straps, lace up the boots, and go at it.

2 more weeks left, gotta enjoy it while we can. (and then we can worry about the drama).

Go Irish.

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Literally. His name is Golden. And somewhat unfairly, his amazing season is being slightly over-looked due to mounting losses and speculation about Weis’ job security.

If ND was even decent, Golden Tate would still be (and frankly, still should be) in the Heisman race in a major way. As it is, he should still be invited to the ceremony.

I don’t remember a player at ND that has made such a huge impact, and has made so many amazing, highlight-reel-worth plays. Probably The Rocket was the last guy like this at ND. It’s special to watch, and it’s a shame that it’s all getting marred by the team’s struggle to succeed.

Golden Tate is the best WR in the nation, and probably the best athlete. I’m sure there are some that will dispute it, but Mark Ingram has nothing on Tate. Other than playing for a team with a better record.

Tate is 4th in total yards among WRs on the season, and is poised to break the Shark’s single-season record for receiving yards next week. He’s also tied for 2nd in total TD catches in ND history, and could break that record this year as well.

Among WR’s with 50+ catches, he’s 4th in YPC, and among those with 70+ catches, he’s 2nd. He’s also tied for 3rd in TDs among all WRs, and he’s averaging 6.9 yards per run when he gets the ball on the ground, and has added 2 TDs rushing.

More than anything, he does the fantastic. The end-of-the-half TD catch against WSU. The Punt Return TD against Pitt. The “Go ahead and hit me Mays” hit in the end zone where NFL-bound-all-world USC Safety Mays bounced off Tate like Tate was made out of steel. The list goes on and on.

The kid produces, and produces in a big time, flashy way. Not something many people associated with ND in the recent past. But now that’s changed.

Thanks to Golden.

He may go pro this year, and who could argue with the decision? Lots of money, his draft stock rising, CBA negotiation implications, potential coaching change…But he may also stay another year. He’s developed a ton over the past year, but, remarkably, is still somewhat raw. There are other reasons to stay – a degree, a chance at the Heisman, a chance at helping ND really get it going again, improving his draft stock even more.

I’m really hoping the kid sticks around. Selfishly, and not really because he’s such an asset to the team and because he’ll be a senior leader and will help ND win games. But really, because he’s just so damn fun to watch.

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• I swear the way the MSM release things like speculation on Weis' job, it's all coordinated. It's like a bad James Bond movie. #
• It's amazing that most #notredame fans can agree on one thing today, but still accuse all other #NDFB fans of being wrong. #
• Vote 'No' on the Urban Meyer to #notredame proposition: http://bit.ly/4gf3N9 #
• RT @CornerTavern: @herloyalsons would you sign up for Brian Kelly right now? < Kelly's resume sure is interesting. #
• @nostredameus We've heard of it. Have you read it? Have you studied its sources and authors? Not exactly the same thing. in reply to nostredameus #
• RT @nostredameus: @herloyalsons …you guys are crazy to dismiss Meyer. < Nah. We just love what ND stands for and hate what Meyer stands 4. #
• @InTheBleachers: @cgb_blog negatives about Meyer include: http://bit.ly/4gf3N9 < If only Meyer could run a clean program and win #
• @cgb_blog And BTW, we saw that suggestion about Beamer to ND. That was insane. It's like "Lincoln to Russia." in reply to cgb_blog #
• RT @schadjoe: Why Brian Kelly? < Don't like your #4. How about: 4) A top 30 level Defense even after replacing DC and most of the starters. #
• @CfbToday Not as favorable as you think: #notredame avg sched strgth: 26, #gamecocks 19. But yeah, we'll keep our talent over SC. in reply to CfbToday #
• RT @oaknd1: complaining about the blocking just makes us look foolish. < I think what upsets me about it is I just expect better from Navy. #
• RT @CfbToday: @herloyalsons Fair point. [...] If I'm a ND fan though, I wouldn't trade with SC. < Coaches? The ole' Ball Coach at ND? Hrm… #
• Real people use the term "fewer" when they should use the term "fewer" rather than "less" #indiemoviecliche #
• Real people reading #indiemoviecliche #
• Potential next #notredame FB coach, Brian Kelly – learn more here: http://bit.ly/2J6GuI #
• RT @egndcolts: @herloyalsons umm Last time I looked we got a head coach < consider that getting ND "back" where we want may b a 2 man job. #
• Lets go boys. Time to shed the shadows, rise, and strike down Pitt. Go Irish! #
• If only they'd found Oil on the moon. Or coffee. #betterThingsToFindOnTheMoon #
• Wouldn't mind seeing Brian Smith shut up and tackle someone. #
• Slop-py #
• Only Big East referees could have found a way to piss me off about that game. And so they did. #
• RT @FightingIrishND: Tate & Floyd both had over 100 yards receiving for the second game in a row < The 2nd loss in a row. Throw it to 83! #
• @TriceraPops You can't review a pass that was called incomplete to see if it was a fumble. in reply to TriceraPops #
• Charlie worked his butt off for ND. Its a bummer that he wasnt able to get it done. #

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I don’t know if Weis will be our coach much longer, and I know it’s ‘exciting’ (I actually think it’s the worst thing in the world) to have another coaching search because, well, maybe this will be THE ONE, right? Right???? But let’s not all get lost on the next step when the current step isn’t yet concluded, and very much in doubt.

Charlie Weis is still our coach. From the interviews this week, the kids are still behind him. They all came here to play for Weis, and they’re ready to throw down to support the guy. Swarbrick is still behind him, at least publicly (though you have to assume the due diligence is underway just in case we crap the bed to close out the season). The fans? Alums? Another story. And I get it, I’m with ya’ll.

But nothing makes me more sick than the ‘ND fan’ that’s hoping we lose and lose big so we can move on with the coaching search. You know who you are out there, and there are a lot of you.

This team can still have a good year. It’s not going to be what we all expected, or what we wanted, and it won’t be a team living up to its potential, but a 9-3 regular season is serious progress from 3-9 two years ago, and will get us into a decent bowl. It will keep our momentum going with recruits and (gasp!) is likely to keep Weis around.

In fact, the only results that pretty much guarantee a firing are a 6-6 or a 7-5 finish. 9-3 and he’s almost sure to be around for another year. 8-4 probably depends on how that final loss goes down (e.g. tight, last minute loss to top-ranked Pitt, vs stink-bomb loss at home to UCONN ala Syracuse last year).

The chances of winning out aren’t great given our issues on defense, maybe 10%. Chances of dropping just one are decent, probably 35%. Chances of losing to both Pitt and Stanford are decent too, probably 45%. Chances of dropping all 3? 10%. Yeah, I’m just eye-balling this, but that means we have a 45% chance at having Weis around for another year assuming Swarbrick gives him one more shot at 8-4 (and I’m guessing he will). Even if you assume I’m way off and we’re much more likely to drop 2, there’s still probably a 30% chance that we win out or only drop 1. ~1 in 3 isn’t all that unlikely folks.

So unless you’re rooting for losses, don’t just assume that the change will happen. There’s a decent chance it won’t.

At this point, I don’t know anyone that can openly support Charlie. Not with the current body of work. But I’m really, really, really pulling for a 9-3 final record and a bowl-win. Because no matter what, I want ND to win. I’d take that 10% any day.

Go Irish. Beat Pitt.

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We know. We know that getting riled up about this after losing to Navy is just sour grapes. Screw it. Had ND laid a hit on a guy like the one in this video, it would have been national news. Global. Putin would have been calling for Weis’ dismissal.

Whoever the coach for ND is next year, I hope they remind the players of plays by Navy like this one. And I hope the Irish respect Navy enough to give them an actual effort next year and kick their asses up and down the field.

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Love the story here.

The three men described the scene in which two males in black-hooded sweatshirts approached their car and asked them for money. The two then fled in a 2010 Toyota Prius (!!!!!).

The bold is mine because, well, how many armed robberies take place with a 2010 PRIUS as the getaway car? Hilarious.

And can these guys be any WORSE at this? I mean, first you use an easily identifiable car, and then you just leave the evidence all over said car?

A search of the Prius revealed a air-powered pellet pistol under the rear seat. Two black hoodies were seen in plain view in the back seat, DeBusk said.

Stand-up young men, and smarts to go with it. HA. But hey, at least they saved some gas and the environment with their super-green-friendly getaway car. I wonder if it had the optional solar panel roof. That would take this from awesome to legendary.

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So, somehow, people still don’t see a problem with hiring Urban Meyer to coach ND. Despite the numerous articles outlining all the issues, on and off the field at UF, some people just don’t see any issues with considering him as a potential hire for ND (now, later, whenever). So these Urban supporters say that we just want ‘a bunch of choirboys’ and we should ‘get with the times’ – implying that we just don’t know any better, that this is just how it IS today. Sorry folks, on this issue, we will disagree time and again.

ND is held to (or should be held to) a higher standard – by the school administration, by the students, by the fans, and by the media (big time). I don’t mind that one bit. If Notre Dame isn’t going to stand for something better than the lowest common denominator, who’s going to? And anyway, can you just IMAGINE if an ND player was arrested for wielding an AK-47, and that player was let back on the team? The headlines of “Tarnished Dome” would go on for infinity on the interwebs. Can you IMAGINE if an ND player was caught using a dead person’s credit card for fun and games??? It would hurt the program, but more importantly it would hurt the school. It would change what we stand for, what we aim to be. It would fundamentally injure the strong, faith-based morality upon which the Dome was built. But these criminal acts are the things that happen under Urban Meyer. Not could happen, or might happen, these things HAVE happened. And they’re okay at a place like Florida, and at most schools (which is just sad). But they’re not okay at ND, which is why Urban Liar is not okay for ND. So without further ado, here are the files on Meyer. I am 100% sure I don’t get it all here, but feel free to add links in the comments with any additions, and we’ll edit accordingly.

The Relatively Benign

Somewhat shady things that make Urban look to be kind of a jerk, but really aren’t as big as all the bajillion arrests. (Just a note that I realize that some of these are small, that lots of coaches negative recruit, etc, so please don’t comment about how ‘all coaches do that’ and use that to refute the litany of other things that will accompany this section. Thanks.)

1) Meyer Lies to Recruits. Meyer lies to Trattou and Hunter about ND, and gets them to keep their switch to UF silent as long as possible. I hate linking to Bleacher Report, but it was the only article I found that covered both of these situations. The best part was when Meyer just promised Omar Hunter that his DL coach would still be there, no matter what. Then, the day after signing day, he’s gone to the NFL. Just great. Stand up guy there.

2) Meyer Breaks NCAA Rules. Even ESPN was calling Urban out on potential recruiting violations in the recent past. In this instance, Urban was illegally recruiting WR Carl Moore and his girlfriend as a package deal to UF.

“I used to talk to him every day back in November when he was recruiting Carl,” Smith told the Gainesville Sun. “He kept asking how Carl was doing, and [he] wanted me to come here and do gymnastics.”

The ‘calling everyday’ thing is also a no-no. Course, it was shrugged off and largely ignored by the NCAA.

3) Meyer Lies to Another Recruit. In the same article, a UM commit talked about how Meyer told him that his own future coaches were saying that he should go to Florida. Shockingly, this turned out to be false.

“He told me that he talked to Coach [Lloyd] Carr and Coach Soup [Erik Campbell] and that they told him that I would be a much better fit in the Florida offense than I would be in the one at Michigan. I thought, wow, my coaches are selling me out? I confronted them about it. I asked Coach Carr and Coach Soup about it and they said they never talked to that guy and that there was no way they ever said anything like that and that they think I should be a Wolverine. I believed them. Right then, I knew just how Florida rolled.”

Yep, that’s how Urban rolls.

4) Meyer Skirts NCAA Rules on Recruiting. Again. Same article. Urban uses Tebow to recruit during the Heisman ceremony.

Meyer was at the Heisman Trophy presentation in New York with Tebow and dialed up Moore right after his QB won the trophy.

According to the Bee story, Meyer handed the cell phone to Tebow. “Carl!” the Florida quarterback practically yelled to the Sierra College receiver planted on his mother’s couch near Placerville, “I just won the Heisman! Come on down here, and let’s win a national championship!”

Again, nothing big, but we’re just getting warmed up here.

5) Meyer Lies to Jevan Snead. The infamous Urban Liar original, where Meyer told Jevan Snead that he was recruiting Tim Tebow as a linebacker. HA. Hilarious. Detailed in Bruce Feldman’s “Meat Market”, it’s a pretty funny story actually. But he’s a liar.

6) Meyer Loses out on Recruit, Tries to Sabotage the Recruit’s Admission to LSU. NCAA secondary violations, negative recruiting, etc. “Eh, everyone does that” right? Well, do all coaches try to screw a kid over with admissions when he picks another school?

Johnson said Florida had no problem with his academic eligibility when he first scored his ACT. It wasn’t until after he decided to attend LSU that Urban Meyer had one of his assistant coaches contact the NCAA. ACT officials subsequently reviewed his test results at their request and “flagged” his October score.

“I’m not upset, Urban is” Johnson said. “Florida made an issue about the ACT score. They’re cowards. He had to go behind my back when things didn’t go his way. But that’s OK. What goes around comes around.”

The Serious, But Not Completely Insane

So all of the following comes from a bunch of sources, but I’m just going to link to this one here because it’s a nice concise run-down. I’ll group them a bit differently, but it’s a good run-down of all 24 (AGAIN, 24!) arrests since Meyer took over at UF. (Note: We did a similar run-down in 2007, comparing UF to the Cincy Bengals and all their off-field troubles at the time. That is here.)

The following are all arrests (okay, technically they weren’t all put in cuffs but they were all served papers and charged with some form of crime so we’re going with this as the definition of arrest okay?), but these are not the really crazy ones. Urban’s handling of these is questionable in some cases, and the arrests themselves say something about his leadership, the culture he creates within a program and recruiting scruples (or lack thereof). These aren’t the big dogs though – it’s not all that shocking in CFB today (again, sad) that these occur. Maybe more just the absolute VOLUME of them. It’s pretty ridiculous. Note that this is largely a summary of the linked article above with a few notes and caveats from the HLS perspective. Also note that I’m numbering by people, not events, so you’ll see mutliple arrests within a number. (In other words, don’t count the numbers and wonder why it doesnt add up to 24…)

7) Tony Joiner is arrested for felony theft for deciding to go get his girlfriend’s car out of a tow lot without anyone’s permission at 4 am. Joiner was a captain when it happened, but Meyer stripped him of that (oooooooh, take that! all you’re gonna do is steal back your GF’s car? that’s not the kind of leadership we need here!). He didn’t miss any playing time.

8 ) Torrey Davis is arrested for a misdemeanor driving with a suspended license. Repeatedly. Was considered to be ‘in the dog house’ and ended up in jail.

9) Riley Cooper got cited for a misdemeanor resisting arrest and failure to comply with cops’ requests. No one knows if Cooper got punished at all. You know my guess.

10) Carl Johnson got on a bus with his ex-girlfriend, who had a restraining order out against the dude. Misdemeanor violation there, as he had been accused of 3 counts of date rape. He never missed time, as the case was dropped.

11) Dawayne Grace faced charges of misdemeanor battery and theft. The first time. The second time he got busted for midemeanor violation of a city ordinance and disorderly conduct, and he did community service. SHOCKING HEADLINE OF THE YEAR: Urban actually suspended him. For the year. (Hmmmm, wonder why he gets the book thrown at him, while other guys don’t….could it be, maybe, playing time? I mean, Brandon Spikes got a half game right? Hmmmmm….)

12) Jon Demps drove with a suspended license as well. Then he got busted for possession of the Weed. Booted from the team after the second violation.

13) Louis Murphy liked the happy weed too, and got busted for having it on his person. He was suspended for 3 games.

14) Brandon James got busted while buying the happy weed, which is a felony. And of course he had some on him, so he got the misdemeanor possession too. Meyer suspended James for a, SHOCKING, single entire game. Against Western Kentucky.

15) John Curtis violated his probation by skipping out on community service. This is a misdemeanor as well. Curtis didn’t play much, but had been hurt anyway.

16) Dorian Munroe got busted for felony theft when he pulled a boot off his car. HA. That one is just funny. Nothing came down from Meyer on this one.

The Serious

These are even more startling – that they happened at all, and that they often didn’t result in much of a punishment from Liar.

17) Avery Atkins was charged with misdemeanor domestic battery of his girlfriend/baby mama. Also charged with felony false imprisonment. Meyer suspended him.

18) Dustin Doe got involved in a big old fight and then got busted for misdemeanor resisting arrest. Charges were eventually dropped, so nothing from Urban.

19) Jermaine Cunningham got busted for misdemeanor battery for beating up a guy behind the counter at a Jimmy John’s. On a personal note, that’s just wrong! How do you go after a dude that serves you such a delicious sandwich? Anyway, Cunningham missed no time, and played in the Capital One bowl. Meyer imposed ‘physical punishment’. “Yeah, man, you can’t beat up sandwich dudes! We’re coming down HARD on you. What? No, of course you’ll play in the bowl game. But you don’t get the free watch, and you gotta run some LAPS! So take that!”

20) Jacques Rickerson got busted for having the weed on him to rack up a nice lil’ misdemeanor. Those charges were dropped, so of course just a 1 game suspension punishment from Meyer. But then the guy got caught for felony domestic violence by strangulation. DUDE STRANGLED HIS GIRL. And, just to top it off, felony obstruction of justice. Meyer booted him from the team, because at that point he just didn’t have a choice. “Sorry kid, I really wish I didn’t have to”.

21) Cam Newton got busted for all kinds of felonies. Burglary. Larceny. Obstruction of justice. He was suspended for the rest of the season. If he had only just gotten the 1 burglary charge, he probably could’ve stuck around, but…

22) Marquis Hannah got busted for felony burglary and misdemeanor battery for busting his way into a home and punching a dude in the face while trying to gank some stuff. No punishment to date.

23) Janoris Jenkins was busted for misdemeanor fighting and resisting arrest for his part in a fight outside a club, late night. This one isn’t as bad as some of the others in terms of what he did, but he’s a pretty big time player for them so I slotted it in here. No punishment so far.

The Ridiculous

These last 2 or 3 completely defy description. And even if I somehow haven’t yet convinced you that Meyer has integrity issues, one of these should just about do it for you. If none of this does, then there is no hope that you’ll ever get ND. Sorry, it’s just a fact.

24) Jamar Hornsby throws a dude onto the hood of a car during a fight and gets a misdemeanor property damage and criminal mischief charge. No punishment for this one from Urban. Later in his UF career, his ‘best friend’’s girlfriend dies and he helps him clear her things out of her aparment. Awwww, what a nice guy! Wait, wait….because THEN, Jamar goes around using her credit card for a few months, charging up 70 different things on a dead girl’s credit card. That’s a felony, along with misdemeanor larceny of a credit card. And, really, it’s just cold. Urban brings in guys with great character I tell you, GREAT character. Jamar got booted from the team.

25) Ronnie Wilson. Ronnie Wilson. Wow. Wilson got busted for aggravated assault, battery and use of/display of a concealed weapon during commission of a felony when he busted out his AK-FREAKING-47 in the middle of a fight. Yes, AK-47 folks. Wilson was suspended from the team for the 2007 season. Wow! Urban takes a stand, right? Right? Ah, nope. Because Wilson was ALLOWED BACK ON THE TEAM NEXT SEASON. Seriously. For real. Then, shockingly, he got busted for marijana possession and a count of battery and a count of assault. And after all that, he was finally permanently kicked off the team.

26) The last straw: Just last week, when a blatant attempt to blind a guy got punished by a HALF GAME SUSPENSION.

I mean, c’mon folks. There’s no place for this in football, ever. And the coach essentially condones it. Ridiculous.

In Summary

Wow, I feel sick just reading and writing all of this. Makes me sick to think that people who say the love, understand, and support ND football want a guy like this to lead their team.

I understand that a coach can’t be with players 24-7, but can’t we all agree that this is just a TAD egregious? Can’t we agree that you can create a culture of respect? Respect for others, respect for yourself and respect for the University you represent? Let alone respect for the freaking LAW?

Urban doesn’t do that. He recruits any guy, regardless of character. And then he lets them run wild, and issues weak/soft penalties unless he’s forced to do more because a guy gets convicted of a freaking felony. Yes, I think ND would have a tighter reign on him than UF does. But if that’s the only way to get the guy to act like a decent human being and run a decent program, is that good enough for ND? Don’t we want a guy that WINS, but also takes care of the kids? That also teaches them how to be good, strong people? That maybe, just maybe, actually makes them BETTER? I would think yes.

Urban is a great, great football coach. He’s not a great person, he’s certainly not a great leader for young men, and he’s definitely not a fit for Notre Dame.

Case. Freaking. Closed.

As before, I welcome a debate with anyone who STILL thinks hiring Urban is a good idea. I just don’t know how you can get there after reading this litany of horribleness over which he’s presided.

Out.

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