While his future at Notre Dame is still in question, we know that, at least for now, Michael Floyd is no longer a part of the Fighting Irish.
Coach Kelly released a statement indicating that Floyd is no longer on the team, and rightfully puts Football in its place 'on the side', while Floyd focuses on getting his head right:
"I've spoken to Michael Floyd and his mother and, in light of what took place this past weekend, I let him know he has been suspended indefinitely from football team-related activities. Football needs to take a backseat at the moment while Michael gets his life in order, and while I don't know when Michael will be reinstated, it will not happen until Michael demonstrates he has successfully modified his behavior and the legal and university disciplinary matters have run their respective courses. What's most important right now is Michael focusing on maturing and developing more as a person while working to improve his decision-making processes."
Floyd also issued a statement, which is essentially an apology and an admission of his mistakes:
"First of all, I want to apologize to my family, friends, teammates, coaches, the University and the extended Notre Dame family for my behavior this weekend. I understand the gravity of the decision I made and how it could have had catastrophic effects on myself and others. I've talked to Coach Kelly and I accept the decision he made. I absolutely recognize that I have many things to work on to become a better person and will need to regain the trust of all whom I have hurt within my immediate family and the Notre Dame family. I fully intend to spend the immediate future improving myself to become a better member of our community."
It's obvious that both Coach and Michael and his family are going to focus on his getting things together off the field first. This means moving through the legal system, dealing with consequences there, and through the ResLife system and the consequences there. Who knows if Michael will ever don the Blue and Gold again? I do hope that this wakes him up a bit and he learns that calling a cab and spending $15 is always, always, always worth it.
And while I do think his suspension is warranted, and that he shouldn't be "Grady-ed" and allowed back to play 2 months after this arrest (let alone be Captain), I do hope to see Mike in an Irish uniform again. But AFTER he's figured out his life, fixed what he's broken, and paid his debts. Will that happen? I don't know.
Worst case scenario in terms of playing for Floyd is a suspension through next season, in which case I would expect to see a declaration for the supplemental draft or a transfer. Best case is a 4-6 game suspension, which really limits his season. Either way, we may have seen the last of Floyd. I, for one, hope that's not the case - that he guts through whatever punishment he (rightfully) receives and comes back a better man, and a better player.
By Erik '04 March 22, 2011 - 12:30 pm
I hope for a 4-6 game suspension, but the chances that he’s gone for good are the most likely bet. Better now than in August, so that the team can adjust and make plans to succeed without him. What a loss, though.
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By Ryan March 22, 2011 - 1:00 pm
My only hope is that if they do suspend him for the entire year, he takes his punishment like a man and then comes back for his 5th year. Not likely, but then and again, I didn’t think it was likely that he’d turn down the NFL either. So you never know.
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By tjak March 22, 2011 - 1:02 pm
This whole thing is making me sick.
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By Brennan March 23, 2011 - 9:09 pm
I feel the exact same way
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By squeeze77 March 22, 2011 - 1:13 pm
The precedent for dismissal for DUI is well established at ND. The name Michael Stonebreaker comes to mind.
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By SDI March 22, 2011 - 1:16 pm
It will be interesting to see what happens. It seems unlikely to me that he will go the supplemental route with the current state of affairs in the NFL. It seems to me that in similar situations in the past, student athletes have been dismissed from school for the remainder of the semester and then allowed to apply for readmission the following semester. That seems likely here.
The question is, will Kelly and the Administration feel the need to issue additional punishment to make clear that ND treats these matters more seriously than other schools. I think the answer is yes. And I’m not sure why, but I think Kelly might be inclined to really crack down on Floyd to set an example and make a point that no player is more important than the team.
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By DeepTeaKup March 22, 2011 - 1:52 pm
Kudos to ND for doing the right thing here.
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By Ryan March 22, 2011 - 3:18 pm
DTK, as an outside perspective, I’m curious of your opinion on this matter. What do you think is a correct punishment. No spring and one game suspension (he’d be back for UM if this were the case. But then and again, if he were, we’d have no excuses for losing…). No spring and 4-6 games. Or, No spring, and gone for the year. Or anything else that you would think fits the crime. My opinion is tainted by the fact that it involves a player from my favorite team. Also, what would be too harsh or too lenient?
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By DeepTeaKup March 22, 2011 - 4:01 pm
Let me preface this by saying that RR should have kicked Kevin Grady off the team for his DUI, he was 100% in the wrong for not doing so.
Kid or not, no one has any business being rewarded with a D1 scholarship after comitting such a serious crime (I dont’ care what the technicalities are, a DUI like that is a serious jail time type of offence IMO). Grady should have been kicked off the team, Floyd should be permanently dismissed as well.
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By borromini March 22, 2011 - 6:08 pm
With a heavy heart, I have to agree with you DTK. Especially considering it’s his 2nd DUI with a .19 BAC. No doubt he was well beyond the ability to drive safely.
These are the conditions that frequently cost people’s lives. I just don’t see how this time around, the punishment should be different from what Stonebreaker or Powers-Neal received.
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By ShamRockNRoll March 22, 2011 - 8:10 pm
??? My understanding is it’s his first DUI, yet that he had other alcohol related charges in the past, basically minor in possession.
And while DTK is right that it is a serious crime, it is not a “jail time type of offense” regardless of his opinion. In most states a first DUI doesn’t result in any jail time at all aside from being booked at the time of arrest. I’m not trying to downplay the seriousness of his screwup, nor the incredible stupidity of it, but I think it’s a bit harsh for us to immediately say he should be permanently kicked off the team.
He will (and should) face legal consequences, and the indefinite suspension by BK was an appropriate step. But we are so far out from the season that there is time to judge his future actions (any potential community service, counseling, abiding by his sentencing 100%). I’m simply saying it’s too early to rush to judgement on whether he plays at all next year, though some length of suspension during the fall would certainly be appropriate.
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By The Biscuit March 22, 2011 - 8:41 pm
Yeah, other than time served, most DUI cases are not jail time worthy, especially 1st offenses. And this is his 1st DUI. Doesnt make it okay – but I wouldn’t call it jail-worthy. I also think he should be able to make his way back on the team. I just don’t know when, or how. Grady at UM got almost no punishment. He DUI’d in July and played almost immediately. That’s the wrong punishment. Suspension from school (pushing back his grad date) is a big deal for Floyd. Missing Spring and probably Summer ball is a big deal. But I dont see him avoiding an in-season suspension of some type – not with it being his 3rd alcohol-related offense, and ND trying really hard to fight a pretty rough PR battle lately…
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By Craig March 22, 2011 - 3:29 pm
I’ve been surprised by the rampant speculation about losing Floyd for a substantial fraction of the season. I’m not sure what impact his previous alcohol-related issues will have, but the DUI alone would point to his suspension from the team for the spring semester with reinstatement in time for the season. If Kelly and/or the administration thought that he should sit out for a game or two on top of that, I’d be fine with that, but I don’t think there’s any real need to go beyond that.
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By borromini March 22, 2011 - 6:10 pm
History at ND says otherwise. Similar DUI, especially multiple DUIs at ND in the past have essentially prevented the player from playing in the upcoming season.
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By Nate March 23, 2011 - 10:05 pm
We’ve already established it’s NOT a MULTIPLE DUI. His other offense was minor in posession back at his home in Minnesota. Alcohol offense, but had nothing to do with DUI.
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By Pat March 22, 2011 - 4:21 pm
It’s March. All our feelings might be different in September — and not just because of football. Now, I’m not saying he should get off scotch-free, hardly, but perhaps in the next five months he can make serious efforts to atone for what he’s done. It would have to be something hard, he’d have to show that he’s changed, but maybe he could still get an opportunity to suit up without a season wrecking suspension, and with an eventual degree.
I can hope, at least.
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By The Biscuit March 22, 2011 - 4:25 pm
I hope he avoids all that tape too.
As for the punishment, I doubt he’ll get off with just a semester suspension. Yes, he’ll be suspended from school for the rest of the semester. Probably summer too given it’s his third offense.
Then the question is what others have said – will school/Kelly add on to that? I think at least 4 game suspension will happen, and that’s IF he puts in hard work and stays 100% clean. At most they’ll say ‘come back next year’ and see if he bites or bails.
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By Brad March 23, 2011 - 7:14 am
“I’m not saying he should get off scotch-free…”
That is HYSTERICAL.
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By Pat March 23, 2011 - 9:48 am
Haha! You’re right. Wow, how subliminal is that?!
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By NWohioND March 22, 2011 - 8:28 pm
He got an underage in MN when he was a sophomore right after Kelly arrived…this would be a 2nd offense I believe…I’ve heard something about a incident in high school but this is only his 2nd at ND…I don’t believe he was a that party where a bunch of Frosh/Sophs got caught…I could be wrong…either way, not looking good…got to believe he’s suspended from school for semester and comes back in summer or fall…maybe misses a couple games…who knows…I did a lot and I mean a lot of stupid things when I was 18-24 years old when it came to drinking…so I can’t say that I’ll judge…I got caught and didn’t get caught…thank god I never hurt anyone…it’s sad but it’s life…nobody is perfect and hopefully he learns from this and becomes better for it…
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By TXIrish2 March 22, 2011 - 11:42 pm
Honestly if ND is going to cut bait on the kid, they need to tell him up front. If he’s given an opportunity to make amends, and he does so, it would be wrong to do anything other than allow him to play again.
Not saying ND should have already made that decision, but if it’s going to be made it will probably be sometime before the summer, so he can make other plans if ND isn’t in his future.
Regarding his community service, he’s going to have 500 hours mandatory for blowing a .16 or higher as far as Illinois law goes.
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By domer03 March 23, 2011 - 6:31 am
The idea that he should be suspended from school for the semester is totally misplaced. This offense should have nothing at all to do with his academic standing.
It will have an impact on his status with the football team. That said, I really think that the university needs to think hard about any sanctions in addition to the legal penalties – he’ll have to report to a St. Joseph County substance abuse board, pay legal fees, perhaps get points on his license, etc.
While being a member of the football team is privilege, the university must be aware that it doesn’t dole out a disproportionate punishment BECAUSE he is an athlete. The average student would have a few issues with Reslife (counseling, etc.), but otherwise his/her status at the university would remain largely unaffected. While he is getting a scholarship – and therefore needs to take responsibility – the proper response must be proportionate. A suspension of more than 1 or 2 games seems over-zealous to me.
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By The Biscuit March 23, 2011 - 8:55 am
Actually, this is wrong. The student handbook, for any student, outlines punishment for legal troubles/alcohol issues/DUI. I am pretty sure his combination of offenses means suspension from school for a semester, player or not…
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By Garrett March 23, 2011 - 10:36 am
Biscuit the student handbook is a guidline not a set in stone punishment. I also attend a college here in Indiana that has similar stated bylaws. I also think what has happend in Minnesota should not affect what happens here. Those charges on Minnesota seem a little sketchy to me. That said I think he should face punishment but it isnt fair to look into his past and pull out faults and punish him very harshly now. If they felt those offenses were punishable, then they should have done something about them when they happened, maybe this would have all been avoided then.
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By The Biscuit March 23, 2011 - 11:49 am
That’s just not how Notre Dame works. Behavior off campus, during the summer, etc impacts your standing at the school. If, when a student, I was arrested over the summer, that would impact their decision about punishment for a similar incident later. Things at ND are more strict, and rightfully so. A higher standard? Yes.
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By Nate March 23, 2011 - 10:11 pm
I don’t meant this to come out as rude as it is, but if you didn’t go to ND, how are you in any position to comment on what ND’s guidelines are or not? Those of us who went to ND know that ND takes Du Lac, the rule book, VERY seriously, and enforces it at every opportunity. It’s not a “guideline” that there is leeway with. It’s very much set in stone. And Biscuit is right–something that happens off campus, even at home, affects how the University views you and other punishments. Something WAS done when the other offense happened, but it was a much more minor offense (ooh, underage drinking, crazy!) and it was handled within the football program. This is much worse, and much more public, and demands a stronger response. Personally, I think the best scenario is a year-long suspension, but that he comes back for the following year as a 5th year. It’s not like the NFL will even be playing. Take that year to get yourself right, and come back afterwards.
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By domer03 March 25, 2011 - 6:38 am
Nate,
I agree that this thing is much more serious, and I know that ND takes (certain portions) of DuLac very seriously. That said, my impression is that it is no longer “like it used to be” in the 90s and early 2000s, when every single student I knew seemed to go through mandatory “alcohol counseling” at one point or another.
I haven’t been on campus in a number of years, but my sense is that they are taking a “spirit of the law” approach as opposed to the “letter of the law” that many of us experience (the excise unit being the one exceptions).
I knew Tom Doyle fairly well during my time at ND. He’s a great and compassionate man. Not at all sanctimonious or judgmental. I can imagine that his character is having an impact on “student affairs.” At least that is my hope.
Floyd will be dealing with the legal repercussions of this for years. I think that Reslife is away of that; hopefully they won’t pile on too much.
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By domer03 March 23, 2011 - 4:38 pm
Biscuit, I know a few people who had DUIs during their time at ND. While they did have to go to Reslife and do some counseling, their academic standing was not effected. During my senior year I had a minor run-in with the law and it was handled in a similar way by Reslife.
They can require you to show up for meetings and what not, but for a misdemeanor violation there is no reason to suspend someone’s academic progress. All of their overbearing behavior notwithstanding, Reslife seems to understand that.
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By The Biscuit March 23, 2011 - 6:39 pm
Did those persons have 2 prior alcohol-related arrests on their record? I expect he’ll miss a semester. I don’t know this, and I’m certainly not hoping it for him, but it’s just what I expect.
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By The Biscuit March 23, 2011 - 6:50 pm
I think this being his ’2nd offense’ by definition in Du Lac is the killer. Here’s what Du Lac says:
“Second offense: If a student is determined to have violated this policy and it is a second offense as described above,
the Office of Residence Life and Housing will: 1. Separate the student from the University for at least one academic semester.”
This can be found at: http://www.nd.edu/~orlh/dulac/AtoZ.html
Go to the first section on Abusive Drinking and go to page 114.
He qualifies as a second offense because of his priors – he has a previous violation of the intoxication policy + a DUI violation. Unless they somehow rule that his previous arrests weren’t violations, he’s gone til Summer. Otherwise they’re making an exception for an ND football player, and ND won’t touch that with any length pole.
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By Garrett March 23, 2011 - 10:32 am
I agree domer, i think it is crazy that he would get supsended from school. I feel this is unrelated to school. Yes he is a football player so there should be a punishment.
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By Brad March 23, 2011 - 7:23 am
Here are my feelings on the subject.
Regardless of what happens with suspensions or whatever, I hope Floyd learns a good lesson and becomes a better person for this.
I have worked at a prosecutors office, and went to a big state college, so I am pretty familiar with DUIs (or OWIs here in Indiana). Outside of the legal ramifications, there are a few things that I have found to be standard.
1) The average person who gets popped for an OWI does not just make one mistake. Most people who get popped for an OWI have driven drunk dozens and dozens of times. They just weren’t drunk enough or unlucky enough to get in trouble or kill anyone. It is a serious issue.
2) In my experience, two things happen after somebody gets their first OWI. They get their shit together, and realize they did something really, really dangerous, and never even put themselves in the position to do it again,
OR
they continue to do what they are doing, and rack up multiple OWIs, license suspensions, and generally keep the same behavior until they go to jail for a long time, lose their license for live, or seriously hurt or kill someone. Usually, its a combination of the three.
So for right now, all I am really concerned about is Floyd getting his shit together, learning from his mistake, and becoming a better person from this. I think and hope that he will.
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