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Her Loyal Sons

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No Time for Tommy

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An old saw about leadership is that “with authority comes responsibility” or words to that effect. As a young reserve officer candidate, some such phrase was beaten into my brain and, in later years, I did my best to remember it as I explained myself to my CO for the sins of a non-rate in my division. As you progress up the ranks, you gain more authority, but also more responsibility. This basic fact of leadership, to me, explains the now tortured path on which Tommy Rees walks and, perhaps, why the end of his road may differ from that of Michael Floyd, or any of the tens of Notre Dame athletes who found themselves on the wrong side of the law and ResLife in the last two years.

Before I go any further, I want to be crystal clear on a few matters: first, nothing in this article should be construed as my professional opinion as an attorney on any of the legal issues presented by Tommy’s arrest or the underlying circumstances. Second, Tommy is entitled to the presumption of innocence afforded to all defendants in the criminal system. Third, Tommy Rees is not quite twenty years old and is entitled to the presumption of human fallibility and the redemptive process.

Tommy has been charged with four misdemeanors under Indiana law, specifically: 1.) underage drinking; 2.) fleeing from a police officer; 3.) “forcibly struggling” with said police officer; and 4.) “knowingly touch[-ing]” said police officer (Brandon Stec, for those of you scoring at home) “in a rude, angry or insolent manner resulting in bodily injury to Brandon Stec, to wit: pain and scrapes.” It’s the last two charges that really have me concerned for Tommy’s future participation in the football program and, perhaps, in the University as a whole.

According to du Lac “[t]he following actions and behaviors are clearly inconsistent with the University’s expectations for membership in this community [and] violations of these behavioral standards will call into question a studentâ’s full participation in the University community: 1.) Violence, or the threat of violence against another person, or any action which causes injury to another. [. . .] 11.) Behavior which causes a serious disturbance of the University campus. [. . .] 12.) Actions which seemingly affect only the individual(s) involved but which have a negative disruptive impact on the University community and/or concern a student’s personal  [. . .] growth.” (emphasis added).

The thing about leadership is that it implicates equal measures of, among other traits, knowledge, judgment, dependability, tact and courage.  After Coach Kelly benched Dayne Crist for the Michigan game last season, he noted that both Dayne and Tommy “are capable of leading our football team.” Coach Kelly put Dayne Crist on ice because Dayne demonstrated he couldn’t get the job done on the field. Tommy, arguably, has shown he can’t get the job done off the field. Leadership does not stop, or start, at the touchline, or in the locker room.

Coach Kelly, to maintain his authority over the program and his place within the University community, is going to have to do exactly what he did with Michael Floyd early on: suspend him. Then, Coach Kelly is going to have to let the legal and the University discipline processes play out, as he did with Michael Floyd. Only then, and only if Tommy stays at ND, can Tommy go about the task of completing what will have to be an arduous, transparent and verifiable program of “behavior modification and improved decision-making skills.” And frankly, I don’t know that there’s enough time between now and September 1 for Coach to credibly develop and implement such a program and for Tommy to complete it. I hate to say it, but I think Tommy took himself out of the quarterback competition for 2012.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • My thoughts precisely, Bayou Irish. One must believe that Rees was raised within a certain set of values and “code of conduct”, so to speak. I would hope those values would include not resisting/fighting with a police officer. Many people mistake catchy slogans, head butting and demonstrative behavior for leadership. Leadership is doing the right thing, knowing there may be a personal cost. Leadership is doing the right thing to honor your organization. Leadership is doing the right thing as an example to those who will be caretakers of the organization once you are gone. Mr. Rees did none of those things, if his alleged actions are found to be true. I can excuse the first two actions as those of an immature young man. The latter two I can not.

    • “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate..to suffering” ~ Master Yoda

      Fear of rejection and losing his job led to his anger. His anger led to the hate which caused the abuse of the officer. The hate and abuse is causing his fall from the University and therefore, the suffering. God be with Tommy, i dont think he’ll be a student much longer

  2. Officer Stec’s account of the event is awfully damning for Tommy. Great points all around, Bayou. Not looking good for the Reesman. And good luck to Coach Kelly in dealing with the intense media scrutiny surely to follow any way he handles this (either punishment is too light for the crime or a harsh punishment means that he let Floyd off easy last year – can’t win with ESPN and that really-unprofessional-Chicago-Tribune-reporter-that-covers-the-Irish-that-I-will-not-mention-by-name).

  4. I think Rees’ lack of judgment on the field now coupled with his monumental lack of judgment off the field rules him out as the Irish QB.

  5. Perhaps this could be the saving grace of Kelly: it takes Tommy out of the race, and thereby gives kelly the leniency afforded a coach who lost his experienced starter and now is “forced” to start Goldrix.

    Whether Kelly would have started Goldrix anyways, is now somewhat of a moot point.

    As I see it, this circumstance should make the QB decision that much easier for Kelly…as least from a PR perspective of playing an inexperienced QB (with more upside) over the experienced QB (who has seemed to have plateaud..)

  6. The one thing I’ll say is that Kelly, in the Floyd situation, stated that he was a fan of all-or-nothing punishment. As in, suspend a guy for the season, or not at all. And another thing about Kelly that I’ve always thought, he wants to get the best guys on the field, and if he is able to do that, he will, regardless of public backlash. So I imagine if their is any possibility that Tommy can start game 1 (meaning no legal or Reslife snags), he will be that guy, because Kelly wants him to be.

  7. Nice change of pace from the overbearing Tommy Rees-or-die arguments from Grantland X.

  8. I agree. Kelly favors Rees. He just doesn’t get it. After the recent spring game, Kelly was asked about Golson’s positive performance, but Kelly had nothing positive to say. At that moment, Kelly lost me for good. He will go the way of Davie, Willingham, and Weis. All of us ND fans will go straight to heaven when we die, because we have served our purgatory here on earth.

    • I admit that while listening to the post spring game comments from Coach Kelly I was a little in shock too. Then I heard Mike Frank’s take on the issue and it made sense. Everett hasn’t played a snap of college football that counts and everyone outisde the walls of the practice field is touting him as the next great thing. His comments were meant to keep Golson from getting a big head. On the flip side, everyone is ready to dump Tommy for one of the young guys, so Kelly has no choice but to be the one voice trying to boost his confidence. The Coach has to say things that the public might not want to hear to keep all of his players heads’ where they need to be to give us the best chance at being successful.

  9. The account of the incident makes it sound as if Tommy Rees initially tried to avoid a confrontation with the police officer by running away. Unfortunately for Tommy Rees, the police officer was able to catch him. When the police officer caught him, I don’t think there was a gentle collaring or scolding. I think the police officer probably tackled him with extreme physical force and in all likelihood pummeled the hell out of him. This in turn caused Tommy to defend himself and in so doing caused him to return some pummeling of his own ( I hope Tommy got in some good pummels of his own ). I am not condoning what
    Tommy did. He acted foolishly and with poor judgment. However, there are always two sides to every story and I am willing to extend a bit of compassion to Tommy Rees and also I am willing to allow Tommy a measure of forgiveness for what he did. I do not want to see him get kicked out of Notre Dame because he failed to live up to the ” highest standards ” of Notre Dame. I do feel that he needs some expert professional counseling on the dangers of alcohol abuse and what it can cause you to do in a moment of weakness.

    • So, now I’m to understand that running from the police is a legitimate way to AVOID a confrontation. Doesn’t seem to have worked very well. And you assume that “the police officer probably tackled him with extreme physical force and in all likelihood pummeled the hell out of him.” I would hope that our defense continues to tackle with extreme force, and I would expect nothing less from police officers apprehending a fleeing suspect. Doesn’t track with the accounts I have heard thus far. And the booking photo of Tommy’s face certainly didn’t seem to indicate he received a “pummeling” from the officer. Of course, you hope Rees “got in some good pummels of his own” which is clearly your strong condemnation of his actions and not to be viewed as condoning them!

      When I hear someone complain that today’s young people have no values, lacking respect, I tend to give the kids a break. I look directly to the ADULTS who fail to provide the guidance they need, who fail to hold them to a high standard of conduct, who fail to PARENT them. I found it interesting that you placed the words “highest standards” of Notre Dame in quotation marks. It implies, to me, that you either don’t believe they exist or believe they are irrelevant. I reject either one of those implications.

  10. I’m betting the SBPD officer involved in the tussle was not sleeping on EG.

  11. Bayou Irish, that is a most cogent and intelligent article. You have shed light where light is pertinent. Thankyou.

  12. Tommy’s first mistake was to be at the party drinking since he is under aged. His second mistake was drinking too much. His third mistake was running. And his fourth was kneeing the officer. Given all this, he isn’t yet twenty. It’s too bad there can’t be a place on campus where they can get 3/2 beer and let off a little steam under supervision. All in all I don’t see where he should be kicked out of ND or off the team. Give him the appropriate discipline after the authorities finish with him and then keep him at ND and on the team. He at least has the experience the other QBs need and he did do some good things last year. He’s only a kid and I don’t think he’s a mean kid, just a kid who panicked.

  13. So SB police officiers have nothing better to do then chase kids over town who they think might have had a drink at a party. He wasn’t driving, he wasn’t attacking anyone. While Tommy made a bad decision and should be punished, how many young ladies were being attacked, homes robbed, people shot, while officer Igottascrapeafterpummelingthekid whines to the DA that Tommy reacted to being tackled? Yes, Tommy should be used to being tackled. No word if he coughed up the beer. Over played incident but Tommy did stupid.

    • Actually, the officers were responding to a call for service by a citizen of SB. Last time I checked, officers are required to respond to the requests by citizens to investigate complaints. As to ladies being attacked, homes robbed, people shot; that information is available in dates bases or through a freedom of information request. Or check the local news affiliates. I’m sure such events made the news if they occurred…

  14. Here’s my take, I believe Tommy Rees panicked and ran away because that’s what happens when you have too much to drink. Alcohol makes people do dumb things when they are put in compromising positions. Pretty f’ing simple, right. I believe he got blocked by that cabbie as stated in the report, turned around and saw the officer coming full force towards him. His first initial reaction was to defend himself by putting his knees up. The officer gets jacked in the stomach, gets pissed, struggles with Tommy, and blasts his face with pepper spray. At this point Tommy is running on an alcohol adrenaline, and resists some more.

    I agree with all opinions that Tommy is out of the 2012 QB race. The pressure has been riding on his shoulders for a long time, and the spring game piled on a ton more. His failure to focus on leadership has caught up to him off the field, and now he has to deal with the consequences. Look, he’s young, and I really do feel for him. But he was aware of the fish bowl that comes with being the ND QB, and that cannot be over looked by Brian Kelly. In my opinion, the coach needs to move forward without Tommy Rees.

  15. I agree with the poster that said Kelly put Golson down and pumped Rees up after the spring game to keep everyone on an even keel. I just hope this is the last we see of Rees on the field. He just isnt good enough to get us where we need to be.

  16. For all those folks out there criticizing Tommy for his “lack of judgement”, how about a little perspective and a reality check? Tommy is a college student at ND, just like I was and many of you were. I witnessed a vast majority of my peers drinking too much alcohol and drinking underage… not a big deal at the time. In retrospect, I wish I’d drank less, but that’s the wisdom of a few years of growing up, and I’m not hypocritical enough to act like Tommy has made some huge lapse in judgement. To the questions on leadership… I wonder what many of you know about that topic. Post-college I led men in combat in Iraq, and the fact I’d made an ass out of myself in college didn’t take away from the fact I was a damn good leader. If someone had been watching my every move in college, or reporting on my trips to ResLife, comments like yours would have cast me off as someone unfit for the responsibilities I fulfilled.

    Let’s remember this: Tommy is a kid. Football is a game. A little perspective would be a healthy thing. It doesn’t quite blow my mind that a drunk kid tussled with a cop. In a society with a little more perspective, Tommy would get a stern talking to, get run hard at practice, and the world would keep spinning. Instead we’re acting like it’s earth-shattering that a college student acted like a college student.

    Shame on all of you for taking pleasure in a young kid’s public embarrassment. I’m sure many of you did worse in college… I did, and I turned out okay.

    • Shame on us? No, shame on you. When I was in college drinking it up, I wasn’t the QB for the most storied college football program. Where you? So don’t sit here and try and examine why we are questioning his leadership. When you were in college drinking it up, making an ass out of yourself, where you leading people into Iraq at the time? No, you grew up, then became the leader you are now. Unfortunately, Tommy has already begun his journey in leading his troops into battle. So a mistake like this calls into question to whether he can continue to do that on Saturdays.

      In my opinion, he’s had a whole season to learn how to swim in the fish bowl. He had first hand experience with a teammate that made a mistake, not a 4 misdemeanor mistake, but still a very serious mistake that almost cost him his senior season. The warning signs were right in front of his eyes, but being a young kid, he looked away and chose the wrong path. To me that is not the leader you want on the football field. Get pissed if you like, but maybe this is something that will help Tommy as he matures throughout his life.

    • Alex: I am not really certain at all where you got that I was taking pleasure in Tommy’s situation. And I am not really certain where you come off thinking that Tommy did NOT make some huge lapse in judgment. I sincerely doubt you would countenance behavior like Tommy’s from a young marine or soldier in your company, whether in garrison or OCONUS – he or she’d get NJP at least. There would also probably be some “extra learning” delivered by the marine’s gunnery sergeant or chief or whoever. I am a firm believer in the redemptive process: Tommy should get to play football again, should get to graduate college and move on with his life. Whether he gets to do any of these things again at ND is the issue. Frankly, I would stunned (and troubled) if Tommy were thrown out of school. But, his actions must have consequences and I don’t think there is time between now and Navy to let all those consequences (legal, ResLife, team) play out. Remember, Floyd got done in March and was allowed back in August. It’s May now. I don’t think that all three things can play out between May and August. If Tommy pleads right now, to speed things along, what does that get him with ResLife? And under the Floyd-paradigm, any football-based consequence cannot begin until ResLife gets squared away. I appreciate your reading my post and your comment and your service. I had the privilege to lead and be led in the Coast Guard for fourteen years and to lead men and women as close to the fight as I could get — the SPOD (Camp Spearhead) — in 2003-2004. Yes, I was a REMF, but only because that’s where they put the boats.

      • Bayou: apologies if it seemed my comment was directed at you. I thought your post was thoughtful and fair. I was taking exception to other commenters that seemed a little too gleeful to see an under-performing QB fall out of the mix in an unfortunate way.

        Mannix: I’m curious as to reasoning behind the “shame on you” part of your rebuttal. That said, your analogy strikes at the heart of the matter; the perspective I was asking folks to have in this situation. Tommy is NOT leading troops in battle, he is a kid playing a game. Storied or not, ND football is a game played by young men. The grown men in the stands castigating these students/boys for their mistakes both on and off the field is the sort of behavior I was calling shameful.

        The point I was making was this: if many of us had our poor college choices publicized, we could be similarly excoriated for our boorish behavior. As such, let’s not be too quick to judge and condemn a young man for having the bad luck to get run down by the SBPD. If he’d had a little more foot speed or luck, TR could have been laughing with friends the next morning in the dining hall about their close call. Instead, he received public humiliation and anonymous message board posters calling into question his character and leadership ability.

        Tommy made a bad choice with booze. That happens in college. I believe in accountability, but like I said, a little healthy perspective and maturity from the grown men who watch the young men play a game… would be welcome.

        • I said shame on you because that’s what my grandpa would of said, but that’s neither here nor there. Now, we have two different views, and that’s fine. I don’t agree with you, I believe that yes, he is a kid. However, you are downplaying the significance of the situation. Tommy is held to a higher standard than other college kids because he plays the position of quarterback for the University of Notre Dame. He is on scholarship at one of the most prestigious universities in the country. Do you think there are other “kids” out there who would die to be in his position? I don’t think it’s right to wrong the public or the media for publicizing this kid’s poor decision. He chose to come to ND, he chose to fight for the QB position, he is not like other normal college kids, sorry, he just isn’t.

          And what is this “bad luck” for being run down by the SBPD? Again, HE ran from the police! That’s not bad luck, that’s stupidity! I’m sorry, I can’t continue, I’m laughing at the rest of your paragraph, and it’s just idiotic.

  18. That is a great commentary about the situation. I have 0 problem with a college kid knocking back a bunch of beers. But to panic at the sight of the cops and then snowball it into a physical altercation with the cops is flat out stupid. I think the Kipling poem “If” comes to mind. “…if you can keep your head about you when all are losing theirs..” No matter what happens to the kid with this issue, he has a lot, a lot of growing up to do.

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