As not only the players, but all of us have become more aware and more educated of the risks associated with playing football, coaches and Universities have had to step up and create changes in order to make the game we love safer for those who play it. While doing some research the other day, I happened to come across a company (Mercaptor Discoveries) that is making ground breaking research in the treatment and prevention of CTE. I had the opportunity to sit down with CEO Sara Isbell to learn a little more about what they are developing. Here’s my interview with Sara.

Q: What is your academic/career background before joining Mercaptor Discoveries?

A:  I have a B.S. in Neurochemistry, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology from University of Irvine, Calif. I worked at Genentech early in my career and was a Senior Researcher at Raptor Pharmaceuticals for 12 years. In 2017, I co-founded Mercaptor Discoveries.

Q: Do you have any previous association with the game of football?

A: I do not have much previous association with football, aside from watching games with my dad when I was growing up. But I am so happy that the drug I am developing could potentially impact the lives of so many athletes, from kids to pro NFL players. The concussion crisis is finally being acknowledged, so I am happy that we may be able to help people avoid serious lifelong complications from doing something they love – like playing football.

Q: How did you become interested researching CTE and football related brain injuries?

A: I am a neuroscientist but I was in the process of researching something else when my team and I stumbled upon this discovery. Then we realized the implications this breakthrough molecule could have for so many neurodegenerative conditions.

Q: Can you explain the current concussion medication that your company is working on?

A: Our molecules, called captons, prevent trauma from spreading throughout the brain. By halting the progression of the initial damage caused by concussions, the medication would prevent long-term repercussions like ALS and other progressively degenerative diseases from developing. Captons could prevent or treat chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), alcohol withdrawal, chemobrain, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and epilepsy.

Q: How did former NFL player Jim Kovach become a part of Mercaptor Discoveries and what is his involvement?

A: Jim joined our Board of Directors after looking at our science. As a medical doctor and former football player, he is in a unique position to work toward finding solutions to the concussion crisis that is plaguing the NFL.

In a quote from Jim Kovach, Jim explains the grave reality that it is practically impossible to make the game of football truly “safe” for its players. This is why the research being done by Mercaptor is so important in saving the game of football. “With just the amount of physics that I learned to get into medical school and the knowledge of the forces within the brain,” says Jim Kovach, a medical doctor, lawyer, entrepreneur, and former player, “my personal opinion is that it would be impossible to truly mitigate the coup-contrecoup—the shaking of the brain, the physical contusion of the brain and the cerebrospinal fluid that is caused by head impacts.”

Q: Where do you hope this research/medication will be in 10 years? 20 years? And could this save the game of football?

A:  We believe this medication will be used widely to prevent brain injury in contact sports. Yes, captons could save the game of football! Athletes could play football without the fear of long-term repercussions – this would literally be a game-changer for football and so many other sports.

This discovery is not far from being in humans. If we can get the funding, we can be in the clinic in three years and to the market in an additional three years. Our approach works on the biochemical level, which is translatable between animals and humans. Unlike other drugs that have been developed and have fallen short after animal studies, our medication being in pre-clinical phase for the next three years will guarantee success in humans.

Since this is an entirely new approach to fighting brain injury and disease, attracting funding is a challenge. It takes a special kind of investor who is willing to take a big leap. We are hoping that our work will attract funding from people who are passionate about changing the world for the better, whether they want to contribute five dollars or five million. People can pitch in to help beat brain injury at www.mercaptor.com. And to learn all about Mercaptor’s vision, visit www.mercaptordiscoveries.com

The post Breaking Discoveries in CTE Research? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

I don’t really talk about my non-football writing life, but as my “day job” I do marketing for Nestle Purina PetCare, in their pet food division. If you follow me on social media, 90% of my feed is Notre Dame football related, but the other 10% is most likely pet and/or Purina related. And if you follow me on social media, you also probably know that I have two dogs, a German Shepherd Irish Setter mix named Molly, and a French Bulldog named Clover (catch the Irish theme there?).

Clover the Frenchie and Molly

And then this story came across my feed today. Apparently, former Notre Dame football player, and current NY Giant, Romeo Okwara is the proud owner of a French Bulldog. (I knew I liked him more than just for Notre Dame football!) I know as a Frenchie owner myself, these dogs may be small in stature, but they are quite playful, stubborn (bull-headed!) and have personalities that are larger than life. Before I got my Frenchie I pretty much drove my family crazy talking about Frenchies. I got to meet ‘Manny the Frenchie” on a work trip to New York City, and that pretty much sealed the deal for me. I needed a Frenchie. Almost two years ago, my family finally broke down and got me little Clover for Mother’s Day, and she definitely keeps life interesting.

Apparently Romeo feels the same way about his pup, Samo. In a story by Matt Cohen, Okwara said, “I always wanted a French bulldog. They’re pretty cool dogs. They’re a little weird; I think everyone knows that. They’re very playful and they’re pretty relaxed and chill at times. So I thought it would be the perfect dog for an apartment.”

If you’re a dog lover like me, check out this video about Romeo and his Frenchie Samo! You can read Matt Cohen’s full story here. And if you’re on Instagram, check out Samo, he’s got his own page!

Thanks for humoring me and my puppy love today!

I have a new story in the works about Lou Holtz and his latest project. Stay tuned!

Cheers & GO IRISH!

The post A Football Player’s Lucky Charm? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

“1585689 Inmate West. In prison, they count you multiple times a day, so it doesn’t take long to memorize your number.”

“The bus ride to prison was an awful ride. You’re handcuffed to another man, so if he needs to go to the bathroom, you go to the bathroom. You go everywhere together. It’s a 10 hour ride. It’s August, it’s hot and there is no air conditioning. It’s just like you see in the movies. Then, when you get there, you get off the bus and they strip you down. They do a cavity search, shave your head, and give you a sack lunch; a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a hardboiled egg, and prunes. They take a sample of your DNA, poke you, prod you, and look for identifying marks. You get boxer shorts and clothes, and they take you to your pod.”

“The prison they sent me to was in Beaumont, Texas, which happens to be right next to Port Arthur. I never thought I’d be coming home on a prison bus. It’s a mixed bag. Yes, I’m close enough to home that my friends and family can come visit me, but I’m going to prison. The Mark W. Stiles Unit, in the Texas Department of Correction. One of the toughest prisons in Texas.”

I’m riding with God.

“I remembered everything Mr. Jackson told me. I walked into my pod in section two, put my back against the wall, and 10 minutes later this little guy comes around. He asks me, ‘hey white boy, what family are you riding with?’ And I reply, ‘I’m riding with God.’ He laughs at me, and says, ‘we’re gonna come get you. God isn’t here. He left a long time ago.’ 10 minutes later this big corn fed white guy with swastika tattoos came up and once he got within range of me I hit him as hard as I could, and then he dropped me within 20 seconds.”

“I had three dozen fights while I was in prison, and I lost 75% of them; but in the end, I won by showing up. I learned so much more about myself from my losses than my wins. Let’s face it, no one analyzes a victory quite like they do a loss. Many times they would roll my cell door and another inmate would say, ‘West, I want to look at you in the shower,’ meant they wanted to fight, because in the showers, it’s easier to clean up the blood. After a few weeks, I’m done fighting the white gangs, and then the black gangs came. And they came four guys at a time.”

“At this point I’m starting to visit the chapel. There is a big Catholic presence there, and the Catholic representative is this woman named Dee Doucet. She carries a cane, and she is not one bit afraid to hit you with it. I go into her office and speak to hear about my situation. I tell her, I can’t do this; I think I need to kill myself. At which point she said, ‘you can’t do that, Damon. Follow your mom’s advice and get on God’s back.’ She gave me a bible and a rosary, and asked me to say a rosary with her. My mom had an extremely strong devotion to the blessed mother, and I knew my mom prayed the rosary quite often. My mom always had her rosary in her car, and she prayed it any time she had a few extra minutes. This gesture from Dee, giving me the bible and rosary, very much resonated with me. She enrolled me in all of her Catholic groups at the prison. She told me, ‘you need strength and you need help.’ That was a Saturday, and on Monday morning I got up and thought, I’m tired of these limits I’m putting on myself. I’m ready to surpass what I thought I could do.”

Man, white boy! Have you lost your mind?!

“That Monday, I decided I was going to start earning my respect … at the rec yard. The rec yard, like everything else at prison, is all about race. At the rec yard, far in the distance, is the sand volleyball court, and it’s for the whites and Hispanics only. To the left, you see big walls, and those are the handball courts. They are open to any race, but your partner has to be of the same race. At the weight stack, your spotter better look at you. And finally, there is the basketball court, and that is run by the blacks; no whites allowed. Growing up in Port Arthur, Texas, I was used to being the only white kid around, so I headed out to the basketball court. I know I’m better than some of the guys out there, I just need to get my hands on the ball. After each game, they ‘shoot for teams.’ Meaning, the first two guys who make shots get to pick the teams. So I go out there, and when the last ball of the game goes through the basket, I grab the ball, falling on it like a fumble ball in football. And the guys on the court are screaming, ‘man, white boy! Have you lost your mind?! We’re gonna hurt you!’ And what do I do? I scream back, ‘hurt me! I’m shooting for teams today.’ They are screaming at me and spitting on me, yelling, ‘we’re gonna kill you, white boy.’ The biggest Blood from Houston, he tells me, ‘get up there and shoot your shot.’ I get up to the free throw line and I’m thinking to myself, ‘Damon, what are you doing?’ I’ve now disrespected the whole race, but if I make this shot, I am one step closer towards getting their respect. I get up there, and I make my shot; and he gets up there, and makes his shot. I pick my four, and he picks his four, but the game isn’t 5-on-5, it’s 9-on-1. But I survive.”

“Tuesday, I go back out onto the court, and they are laughing at me again. ‘Man, we thought you had enough yesterday. What are you doing out here?’ And I look them straight in the eye and say, ‘man, I thought you were playing basketball.’ The Blood who I played against yesterday, he picked me to be on his team today, and they gave it to me even worse. I go out there Wednesday, Thursday, Friday; and they are all picking me to be on their team because they want to beat me up. On Saturday, this is when I see it happen. I’m out there playing in this game, and up until this point all I’ve been able to play is defense, when they finally pass the ball to me. I shoot, and I miss. They pass it to me again, and I make the shot, and then I hear; it ‘good shot, West.’ They weren’t calling me white boy any more. After that game was over, the guys came over and their posture was different. The head Blood said to me, ‘you pulled something off out here that we’ve never seen a white boy do before. You’ve earned our respect. You won’t have to worry about the black the rest of your time here in prison.’ All I could think of was Mr. Jackson and the coffee bean. In six days I had changed the environment out on the yard, and they and accepted me. From then on, they’d come get me, ‘West, let’s go shoot some hoops.”

“But, there was problem, based on a flaw in his statement. The head Blood, he couldn’t promise to keep the entire race off of me. That was out of his control. And then there was another problem, I’ve always taken shortcuts. Two weeks after that Saturday, I was coming off the court, and this guy named Carlos pulled me aside. He takes me into the stairwell and tells me that this big black guy is coming for me in the shower, and that he’s not coming to fight you, he’s coming to rape you and he has a knife. My reply? I just won’t take a shower today. To which Carlos reminds me that I’m a fool, because sooner or later I have to take a shower, and he’ll be waiting for me. He tells me, ‘You’re on the track and the train is coming. What are you going to do?’ I answer Carlos, ‘I don’t have a knife.’ At this point, Carlos gives me a knife, and I hand it back. I’ve never fought with a knife before, and if I go in there with a knife, he’s going to kill me for sure.”

At that moment it sinks in, I am going to kill a man.

“Carlos has an idea. We go back to my cell. I have this little fan in my cell, because prisons in Texas have no air conditioning, and you need that little fan when it gets hot in August. It is March of 2010 when this is happening, so I’m not actually using my fan. Carlos takes my fan apart, takes the motor off and puts it into this bag that he has, and makes a weapon out of it. He hands me the weapon and instructs me, ‘don’t wear your flip flops to the shower, and wear your boots. Turn the shower on, make the water as hot as it will go to create steam and as soon as he comes in, hit him in the head and kill him, or he will kill you.’ At that moment it sinks in, I am going to kill a man. How did this happen? How did I get here in life?”

“I walk the 20 steps to the shower, and I realize, I am never going home. If I kill him, they are going to give me another life sentence, or he’s gonna kill me. But I have to do it.”

“I do everything he says. I’m waiting in my boxer shorts and my boots with my weapon, and the wait seems like forever. My heart is pounding in my chest, and then he pops his head through. All I remember seeing is this big grin on his face, which pissed me off and I screamed as I hit him. I hit him in the breastbone, totally missing his head. He drops his knife, and now I’m on this guy, smashing the motor into him. He’s on the ground, and I’m smashing him in the head. Two of his gang brothers come and demand that I stop or they’re gonna throw me off the run, which would be my death for certain. You see, once he hits the ground, and I’m still hitting him, I’m violating the rule. The rule is, once the other guy is down, you have to stop fighting; you have to let him get up.”

“I snap out of it, grab my bag, and run back to my cell, closing the cell door and I start to cry. I fall asleep, or more like pass out, and sleep until the next day. When I walk out of my cell the next day, everyone knew I spoke the universal language that is spoke in prison, violence; and once they all saw that, they never bothered me again. No more challenges, no more fighting. Once that pressure was lifted off of me, I started working on myself; mentally, spiritually, physically, and I started the process of recovering. I learned that we all need to eat, and what you feed yourself is not only food, but it is also what you read, what you watch on TV, what you do to feed your spirituality. I started reading a book every other day. Whatever I could get my hands on. I started learning about the five major religions, and what I learned is that they are all based on four main principles.”

• Unselfish
• Honest
• Pure
• Loving

“Those are the four principles I based my recovery on, and through them discovered the secret of life. When I came to the understanding that those principles were how I needed to run my decisions, I discovered these retreats that they offered through the prison, called the ACTS retreat. The ACTS retreat is based on serving others and being humble. ACTS is an acronym for: Adoration – Community – Theology – Service. These men would come in to the prison from the outside, leave their jobs, their families for four days and come in and love the inmates. There were 66 of us who would go on these retreats, and the men would hug us and shower us with love. You could just see a transformation happening to the guys in the room.”

“Big murderers, crying like babies at the end of the retreat. I was mesmerized. I saw a transformation happen at that retreat that I never thought could happen in that deep dark place.”

Servant Leadership

“A great example of the ‘servant leadership’ that comes out of these ACTS retreats, is my buddy Joe Tortorice. Joe started a sandwich shop in 1976 in Beaumont, Texas. He began his Jason’s Deli restaurants with four employees and one store, and now he has 270 stores, 11,000 employees in 29 states. But if you ask Joe, he’s not in the restaurant business, he’s in the people business. He believes that you help others achieve their goals and through that you elevate yourself. That’s how the universe works, when everything is in harmony.”

“Since I already had a college degree, I couldn’t take classes in prison, but I came to the realization that I could teach others in prison. I became a tutor, and started mentoring my fellow inmates; helping them go in the right direction. Any way I could give back, I did. I learned that the best way to free myself of my addictions was to help others.”

“Next, I started going to AA meetings on a regular basis and working the steps. One day, I went into a meeting and the sponsor told us, today we are going to diagram the Serenity Prayer.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

“First, he drew a long line across the chalkboard. For the first line of the prayer, put all of the things you cannot change on God’s line. For the second line of the prayer, erase one inch of God’s line, and that’s your line. That’s what you get to work on every day. There are four things that you can control in your life: what you think, what you say, what you feel, and what you do. That’s what you need to work on every day. For the third line, the wisdom to know the difference, know the difference between what’s on God’s line, and what’s on your line.”

“Everything I went through in prison was very humbling. And I believe when you are humbled, it’s because you needed to be right sized. After you have been humbled, whether or not you stay there, is up to you.”

“I helped a lot of people during my time in prison, but then I got to a point where I wanted to get out.”

“There are two ways out of prison, through the courts, and through parole.”

“It came time for me to sit down and write my appeal. There are jailhouse lawyers, and they will tell you, in exchange for $100 at the commissary, I’ll get you out of here. But the more I thought about it, I knew I was a smart guy, so I paid one of the lawyers two bags of coffee to show me how the use the law library, and after an eight hour tutorial of the library, I got to work. It took me two weeks to write my appeal, and then I sent it off to Provost Umphrey Law Firm, asking them if they would review it and let me know if it was something I could use. My Umphrey responded to me saying it was one hell of an appeal, and that when I got out of prison I should come see him for a job.”

“I file my appeal, and I’m trying to do all of the right things, but as Dabo Swinney says, ‘you bloom where you’re planted.’ Growth happens outside of your comfort zone, otherwise you wouldn’t grow, and you’d stay stagnant. I was lucky, I had a lot of help. My parents came to visit me over 150 times when I was in prison. I had visits from friends and family almost every week. I had encouragement from so many people, but what I had most was hope, which is also in short supply in prison. With hope and time on my hands, I went to work on myself spiritually, mentally, and physically; and on November 16, 2015, the parole board set me free.”

“When they granted me parole, they told me this. ‘Hey look, if you come back to prison, we’ll keep you for the rest of your life. Make it right.’”

“The guard walked me to the gate and he told me, ‘here’s your last order. Once you get out of here, get off of our property and don’t ever come back to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice every again.’ I run to the car, where my parents are waiting for me, and my dad says, ‘You want to get a Whataburger?’ And my mom says, ‘hang on Bob, don’t start the car just yet. I have three tools that Damon needs to restart his life.’ First, she handed me an iPhone. I was blown away. When I had a cell phone before I went to prison, it had buttons, not a computer screen! Second, she handed me my driver’s license, which I had been able to renew from prison. Third, she put an ACTS bracelet on my wrist, from the men who ran the retreat I went to in prison. She told me, ‘all the men who have been on these retreats, just like you … they’re waiting for you. Wear your ACTS bracelet so that you can identify each other. I have signed you up for another ACTS retreat in St. Charles … go find your friends.’”

I am doing right by God.

“I thought I was in a good place with my bible and my rosary, but that first retreat after I got out of prison was so great for me. These men shared with me the failures in their own lives, explaining that they were sharing their stories so that others don’t make the same mistakes. This was the servant leadership guide that I have chosen to follow. If by sharing my story, I can save even one kid, or save one family from having to go through what my family went through, or save one future victim from suffering, I am doing right by God.”

“Now my prayer is, ‘God, put in front of me what you need me to do today, and let me recognize it when I see it.’”

“The best thing I have every single day is my program of recovery, because I will always be an addict. I go to meetings, meet with my sponsor, work my steps, and continue to clean out the junk in my life. I have made lists and apologized to people, because whether or not they accept my apologies, it’s my job to keep my side of the street and life clean. And if I can do that, I can stay right with my God. I do this every single day. It’s not something I’ll ever graduate from, it’s something I’ll have to do for the rest of my life.”

“The day after I got out of prison, I went to see Mr. Umphrey, as he had instructed me, and he gave me a job at his law firm. I work in the pharmaceutical division, and I’ve been there for two years now. To get a job at a law firm like this, it’s a one in a million chance, but they feel I am a real life service project.

On the side I started going to local prisons and speaking to the inmates, and then the next things I wanted to do was start speaking with students and student-athletes. I got the opportunity to go speak at the University of Florida. They couldn’t pay me, but they had me flown in, and they were blown away by my story. And then it happened … other schools started calling. What everyone started to realize was that I am the only former NCAA student-athlete to get a life sentence, get paroled, and have the opportunity to go out and speak about it.”

Damon has spoken at multiple Division I universities including Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Texas A&M, SMU, Michigan State, Pitt, Kansas, and many more. He has had coaches from Dabo Swinney to Nick Saban endorse his servant leadership, and he continues to speak at universities and prisons to make a difference in the lives of young men and women. He has devoted his life to sharing with others the dangers and consequences of making bad decisions, and the benefits of staying humble.

Are you interested in Damon West coming to speak to your organization? Please visit his website, www.DamonWest.org for more information!

And don’t forget … “Be a coffee bean!”

The post Part II: From Football to Coffee Beans? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

This past Saturday, I met with another former football player who hails from Port Arthur, Texas. You may not have heard of him, but this is a story you don’t want to miss. Trust me on this one.

Damon West was born in Port Arthur, Texas; on the gulf coast where Texas and Louisiana meet. His father, Bob West, was a groundbreaking sports writer. In fact, he was the first sports writer to put an African-American athlete (former Oklahoma Sooner football player, Joe Washington) on the front page of the sports section in Port Arthur. And his mother, Genie, was a nurse, and raised Damon and his older brother Brandon and younger brother, Grayson. In the 1970’s and 80’s, when Port Arthur’s schools were becoming integrated and white people were leaving in droves, the West family decided to stay. There were many situations during those days growing up in Port Arthur in which Damon was the only white kid. Little did he know that these situations would one day help him, when once again he would be in similar situations, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

The West family was a traditional Catholic family, with a cross and a prayer plaque hanging on the wall in each room of the house. In 1985, this strong faith was greatly tested. Damon came to his parents to tell them his babysitter was molesting him. They sent Damon to counseling and reached out to their family priest, but Damon went into a very dark place. That was his activating event. “By the age of 10, I was sneaking beers from my Dad’s fridge, sneaking liquor at friends’ houses, and smoking cigarettes. By age 12, I was smoking pot, and my belief system was in a bad place. I thought, I wasn’t hurting anyone, I was just smoking a little pot and drinking beer. I was a really good athlete growing up, and I would go onto become a three-year starter for the football team at my high school. I was recruited by many Division I schools, that is until they found out I was only 5’10.” In 1994, there were few successful short quarterbacks, so no one was eager to take a chance on me. I did, however, receive a scholarship to the University of North Texas, and that’s where I went.”

“Once I got out of Port Arthur and into Denton, I lost sight of a lot of important things in my life. I stopped going to church, and I turned my focus towards playing football, having a good time, and partying. Every person’s life is made up of a bunch of ‘fork in the road’ type moments, and September 21st, 1996 was one of mine. North Texas was playing Texas A&M on that day, and I was the starting quarterback for North Texas. On the third play of the game, I would go down with a separated shoulder, and that would be the last football game I would ever play in.” (The following summer, Damon would sever his Achilles tendon in a home accident, which would end his football career.)

Damon had drank and smoked pot quite a bit up to that point, but after realizing his football career was over, he began to shift towards harder drugs to help take away the pain. “I hit the harder stuff, ecstasy, cocaine, pills … I had no inhibitions. My grades suffered terribly, but somehow, by the grace of God, I graduated. After college, I worked in Washington, D.C., for a congressman from Houston, and following that job I worked for Missouri congressman Dick Gephardt while he was running for President in 2004. Then I worked for UBS bank and trained to become a stock broker. One day at work, one of my co-workers commented that I looked sluggish and told me to follow him to the parking garage. That’s when I was introduced to meth. Up to that point I was a pretty normal, functioning coke addict. Yes, my value system was so warped that I thought what I was doing was normal. But meth, that was a different story. That first time I used meth, I was up for four days straight, and I loved how it made me feel.”

Damon’s life went from functioning to spiraling out-of-control. “I lost my job, my home, my car, my savings account, my connection with God, my family, and my sanity. I was homeless, living on the streets of Dallas. I found a place to stay at a dope house, where all we would do was sit around, get high, and talk about getting high. We were a bunch of unemployable addicts, doing anything we had to do to get more drugs. The thing about addicts, we are selfish people and we are thieves. Addicts steal lots of things, but one thing that is stolen from an addict is time, and time is the most precious resource that once lost, cannot be regained. I started breaking into cars, storage units, and eventually into homes in the uptown neighborhood of Dallas where I used to live.”

DON’T MOVE, DON’T MOVE, DON’T MOVE!

“The burglary ring we were running would go on to be known as the ‘Uptown Burglaries,’ and I left a trail of victims in my wake. I hurt a lot of people. I took from them a sense of security that they may never get back. Their thoughts of a person coming into their home, unannounced, unwelcomed, stealing their sense of peace; that’s something they’ll always have to live with. By July 30, 2008, I had been running these burglaries for two years. On that particular day, I was sitting on a couch in a run-down apartment, with a dealer sitting next to me, and we were handing the pipe back and forth. I told the dealer that I thought the end was near; I thought the cops were coming to get me. My partner had been picked up 10 days prior to that day, and I felt my days were numbered. Just as I’m handing the pipe back to him, a window breaks and a cannister comes sailing through the window. I get up from the couch, look down at the cannister, and in a flash it explodes right in my face. The explosion blew me back onto the couch and I couldn’t see or hear anything. When I regained my senses, a cop was standing over me in full riot gear, and his gun was pressed into my eyeball. I look up at the cop and he says, ‘DON’T MOVE, DON’T MOVE!’ And then I hear them say, ‘we got him! The uptown burglar!’”

“When all was said and done, we had broken into dozens of homes in that uptown neighborhood of Dallas, desperately trying to feed that insatiable addiction. We were white, black, male, female.” Addiction knows no boundaries, it sinks its teeth into anyone who will let it.

“They took me to the Dallas County Jail, where they threw me into a holding cell for 24-hours. I only had one thought during that 24-hours. It wasn’t about the victims, my family, or about me. The one thought in my head was, ‘how in the world am I going to get high in here; how am I going to get my dope.’ After that first 24-hours, they moved me into general population, which was a terrifying experience. Never had I been somewhere, where I knew I wasn’t able to leave. In my first 24-hours in general population, I was in my first real fight over a breakfast tray. I called home from this blue jail phone that they had hanging on the wall, and I heard my dad crying. He was screaming at me, ‘how did we go so wrong?? How did we mess up so badly?? What could we have done differently??’ Then my mom gets on the phone, and I hear her say, ‘baby, listen. Your dad can’t talk to you right now. You’ve hurt us, but we love you unconditionally. That’s the deal we made with God when he loaned you to us. You know that, right?’ And I replied, ‘yes.’ She said, ‘now we have to give you to God. You’re now a captive audience to God, and you had better start listening to him. Do you remember the prayer plaque that was on the wall above your bed?’ That plaque had been on the wall in my room for 18 years in our house on Roanoke Street, and I for the life of me couldn’t remember what it said.”

“My mom replied, ‘it was footprints in the sand. Do you remember the story?’ When I could not remember the story, she ever so patiently and lovingly told me the story of footprints in the sand. How every time something good happened, the young man saw two sets of footprints, but every time something bad happened, he only saw one set of footprints. I asked her, ‘why is there only one set of footprints when things are bad in life?’ And she replied, ‘that’s because in those moments, God is carrying you.’”

“That night I started praying to God, something I had not done since I was injured in college in 1996. Reopening a conversation with God like this doesn’t just happen overnight. My first prayer, during those 10 months in the county jail awaiting my trial, was pretty simple; ‘Dear God, get me out of this jam. If you get me out of this jam, look what I’ll do for you: I’ll get a job, be a normal guy, and only smoke meth on weekends.’” Not exactly ‘Footprints in the Sand,’ but it was a start.

“I was in the Dallas County jail for 10 months awaiting my trial, but my hope, my thought, was that I’d get out on probation, and resume using the drugs that I missed so much. When my trial began, I sat there for six days, with my family right there with me. I listened to the testimony of victim after victim, accomplice after accomplice, and recordings of the phone calls I’d made from jail over the last 10 months. I was not remorseful, I was not sorry, and the jury only deliberated for 10 minutes before they came back with a guilty verdict. The next thing I heard was the judge saying, ‘you are hereby sentenced to 65 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice … life sentence.”

“After that, all I could hear was my mother gasping. It was my first felony conviction, but I received a life sentence. I would later learn, once I got to prison, that I was there with people who had committed murder and only gotten 8 years … and I got a life sentence. The jury was mad at me. There I was, this selfish guy who had hurt so many people. It definitely struck a chord with the jurors. They were sitting there looking at this smug guy who could have done anything to earn a living, and had chosen to do this instead. I was not remorseful. They had listened to calls I had made from prison trying to get someone, anyone, to move stolen property to bail me out. I didn’t care about anyone but myself. All of those jailhouse phone calls, ultimately, that’s what sealed my fate.”

“Once the verdict was read, they quickly handcuffed me and shoved me out of the courtroom. They put me inside of a holding area, with me on one side of the bullet proof glass, and my parents on the other side, and we get one last visit. I turned to my mother and said, ‘I’m sorry mom.’ My dad sits there, stunned with disbelief, and has no words. My mom says, ‘debts of life demand to be repaid, and you just got hit with a huge bill by the state of Texas, and you must repay it. You owe your dad and me as well. We gave you a life, and here is the debt you owe us. You are going to go to prison, and you’re going to get on God’s back, and you are not going to join one of these white hate gangs, you’re not going to get any tattoos, and you’re going to repay your debt. Do you understand me?’ And I replied, ‘yes.’”

“The guards took me back to the pod in the county jail, before I got transferred to where I’ll serve my life sentence, and I start asking every single guy in there, ‘how am I going to survive this?’ And this is what I’m hearing. I’m going to a building which is going to be my sole existence. There will be a chapel, chow hall, and law library. That’s it. They keep telling me I’m going to have to join a gang in order to make my life easier. Everyone but one man, Mr. Jackson. I was very receptive to Mr. Jackson. He was an older black man, and he pulled me aside to give me a different set of advice. He said, ‘I’ve been watching you, and you keep telling everyone that you can’t join a gang, in order to honor your mom. And that’s okay. You don’t have to join a gang. But there are a few things you need to know.’”

You don’t have to win all of your fights in prison, but you do have to fight them.

“Mr. Jackson continued, ‘The first thing you need to know is that everything in prison is about race. In the television room, the first row is for the blacks, the second row is for the Hispanics, and if there is a third bench, that one is for the whites. Otherwise you sit on the floor. Second, the white gangs will feel they have an ownership over you. You will fight them first if you don’t want to join them. If you survive what they are going to do with you, you will move onto the next phase which is fighting with the black gangs. The gangs all work together. If you survive all of that, you will be able to walk alone, and only the strongest guys in prison walk alone. Third, you don’t have to win all of your fights in prison, but you do have to fight them. (This is not only the most important rule in prison, but it’s the most important rule in life.) You have to respond quickly, and you have to get back up again. You have to fight.’”

“The next thing he told me, has stuck with me every day of my life. He told me, “West, imagine prison as a pot of boiling water. It’s hot, and the pressure is high. Now imagine putting three things in this pot of boiling water; a carrot, an egg, and a coffee bean. What happens to the carrot when you put it in boiling water? It gets soft. The carrot went into prison hard, and got soft. What happens to the egg when you put it in the boiling water? It gets hard. The egg went into prison hard, and it became hard on the inside, too. Now the egg is incapable of giving or receiving love, and never needs to come out of prison. What happens to the coffee bean when you put it into boiling water? It changes the water into coffee. The smallest of the three things changed the whole pot of water into coffee. That’s what you need to do when you go into prison, change everything. You have to go into this high pressure, negative environment, and change it forever. You get out of anything, exactly what you put into it. The other coffee beans will find you because your energy will shine. Where do you find them? Go to the chapel.’”

“The last thing he told me before I left the county jail is this, ‘when you walk into your pod for the first time, put your back against the wall and wait for it to happen. The first guy to come to you will not come to hurt you, he’ll come for info. The second guy, put your fist in his mouth because he’s coming to hurt you.’”

Please come back tomorrow for the rest of Damon West’s story!

Cheers!

Lisa

The post From Football to Coffee Beans? Discovering the Secret of Life appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

If you’re not in the playoffs, or in a New Years Day 6 bowl, is everything else just an “exhibition?” Have bowl games lost their luster?

A lot of people have been weighing in on this topic on social media. Here is a sampling of some of the comments I’ve been seeing:

• I am thoroughly entertained by bowl games so I don’t mind having a lot of them but 5-7 teams getting in is a joke (and even 6-6 teams for that matter). But for a school like Notre Dame (or Michigan or Texas or Florida State) anything other than NY6 games is kind of just an exhibition.
• The BCS was way better.
• Yes. Way too many. I can only watch the top 3. It’s become ridiculous.
•  If you’re not 1-4, nobody really cares anymore.
• Yes and no. The bottom third of the games is simply too much. Overall the bowl system has lost its luster. I’d like to see it limited to 25-30 bowls, not the current 39. That would make it special again.
• We will see how many players sit out of non CFP games. Last year we had some big names sit out due to injury or fear of injury.
• I still like them. But players are now not wanting to play, afraid of getting hurt and hurt their draft position. I watch ND and New Years games.
• Yes, but it allows each school to practice 16 more times.
• Bowl games are a joke and have been for years. The “Top”, lmao, 64 teams qualify.
• Yes, they mean zero outside your program.
•  To the fans, yes. To the players & coaches, NO! I completely agree w/ Herbstreit. I watched Boise St win the MWC Championship (a minor conference) in the 4th quarter and they could not have been more excited or proud! And they are excited for the Vegas Bowl! Because it fulfills a dream for each player, to play in a college football bowl game. It isn’t about us, it’s about the kids & THEIR experience.
•  I love bowl games. So tired of the negative bull$h!t from alleged ND fans. So tired of it. I am so proud of what our boys did this season.
• Still about the $ though!!!
• No, I still enjoy the bowl games. Means a lot during the holiday. Go Irish! First time for the citrus bowl for us
•  No, I don’t usually watch the 4 playoff teams… unless I care about the team…. I’ll watch the Championship game…. I’ll watch ND in the Citrus… and, as it’s a New Year’s day bowl… works for me.
• Never enough football!
• I don’t think so….I think it’s the experience of possibly playing a team that normally wouldn’t be on your schedule.
•  I enjoy bowl games. The season is so short as it is. I can’t believe people complain about prolonging the end.
• My opinion, not for the fans. For the players I feel like they are worried about injury, and not really focused. Had someone mention the other day, bowl games being the first game of the season (from the year prior). Sounds crazy but it made a lot of sense at the time.
• Yes. I miss the imperfection of the New Year’s day bowl games where you had to watch at least 3 or 4 key games in determining who would be named National Champs. Currently everything else is just playing with yourself for giggles…
• As long as it’s college I don’t think they can implement a true system to get this right… the BCS was almost superior to what we have now hate to say it.
•  I don’t think they’ve lost their luster at all. The extra practice time benefits all involved with the program. Emphasis was taken off bowl games as we’ve gone from a pseudo-playoff (BCS) to what we have now BUT they still have plenty of appeal.
• I completely understand if players want to skip a non-big 6 bowl, if they have a chance to be drafted on the first day. Where the bowls may fall apart is when all the players who may get drafted decide to skip.
•  These programs are big time now paying big time coaches big time money people!… their universities their state’s their fans expect and demand championships! Or it’s considered a bust… I appreciate what my team has accomplished am I disappointed! ? …well yeah
•  Since I’ve boycotted the NFL and their sponsors since the beginning of the 2016 season (has nothing to do with the political not-standing for the Anthem), I have enjoyed college football games in any form.
•  Too many bowls, spread out over too many days … with too much attention going to the playoff (blame ESPN) … which the final game is so far past Jan 1. I’m already back into work mode to care about paying attention. I miss when Jan 1 was loaded so if one game was bad, you had 3 others to choose from on at the same time. That being said, I do enjoy having games on for almost 2 weeks even if I’m not watching them closely. I flip between them and Hallmark Christmas flicks – hahaha.
• No, they mean a ton to the kids playing. I can see many never, ever played anything at a semi decent level from most these comments. It’s a reward for the kids… something, they don’t forget.
• Yes… The excessive bowl games are beginning to become like participation trophies.
• NEVER enough college football. As soon as the playoff games are announced, it’s “OK, who is playing who?” Some great match ups lined up. As for some of the “minor games?” It’s still football and being in bowl pools makes every game count.

I, myself, love bowl season; and am not complaining one bit about all of the games. But I can see the flip side, that if you’re not in the playoffs or a NY6 bowl game, that playing in the post season may seem meaningless; and the risks of injury may seem too great to offset the possible rewards.

What do you think? Are there too many bowl games? Should the playoffs be expanded to include more teams? Was the BCS better than the current iteration of the College Football Playoff?

Please, leave a comment, and let me know what you think!

Cheers & GO IRISH!

The post Have Bowl Games Lost Their Luster? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

And that being said, the following is my opinion. It is not right, it is not wrong, it is merely my observation of the current state of Notre Dame football. If you look at the definition of an opinion, it cannot be right or wrong, … Opinion: (noun) a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.

I would like to revisit a few of the things that have been told to me in the past 24 hours, and simply give my thoughts, comments, and opinions on them. You don’t have to agree with me. In fact, I am totally okay with you having your own opinion (as you should), with you sticking to your guns regarding said opinion, and I am also totally okay with the fact that we may never be on the same page. What a boring world it would be if we all agreed on everything!

A little about me, to possibly help you understand where I’m coming from. I am a legacy. My dad graduated from Notre Dame in 1965, and I graduated from Notre Dame in 1993. While I did not play varsity athletics at Notre Dame, I did play interhall football and softball for my dorm. My interhall football team won the championship, and I have a letter jacket that looks identical to the one for football players received in my day.

Through my (book writing) research, I have learned a lot about Notre Dame and its thoughts on athletics, academics, faith, and how all three are intertwined at the University.

I love watching football with this guy!

A great deal of what I know about Notre Dame, football, and Notre Dame football comes from this gentleman. When you read “God, Country, Notre Dame” over the basilica doors, that’s also this gentleman. A Notre Dame man, served in the Navy, and the best dad a girl could ever have. And yes, it’s because of him that I’m ridiculously proud this 9-3 Notre Dame team, because we know that those student-athletes are playing football at Notre Dame for the 40 year decision… not the 4 year decision.

Yes, you heard me right. I am proud of this 9-3 (potentially 10-3) Notre Dame football team. I am also happy with what head coach Brian Kelly has done this year. He took a 4-8 team, made the necessary staff changes, and turned these kids into competitors. Are they “there” yet? No. Are they on their way? Yep. Are we ready to beat some of the SEC powerhouse schools yet? No. But should we fire Brian Kelly? No.

So here’s the thing with me. I love my school. I love all facets of my school. Yes, I love football, but I also love everything I learned at Notre Dame, and that includes academics and the development of my faith. Without all three of those things, my time at Notre Dame would not have been a “Notre Dame experience.” It takes all three of those pieces to make Notre Dame what it is. So when I hear some of the things that I’ve heard in the past several days, it makes me sad that people don’t know the Notre Dame that I know and love.

The following quotes are going to remain anonymous, as I don’t want to call out any individuals, but all the same I’m pretty tired of being told my opinion is wrong. Nope, I’m not a fragile flower, but honestly, it does get old.

Here we go. In response to my asking who we should hire to replace BK:

• Urban. Give him all the money he wants and please LOWER academic standards!!
• Do you know the game of football or just write books? When has 9 wins ever been okay at ND? Kelly is sub par and will never win us a title. We need kids who want to win and have the athletic ability. We miss out on so many kids because they get Cs.
• I don’t give a $h!t about academics, academics isn’t why I watch football. ND owes the fans and the University better football than this bad to mediocrity program I’ve been witnessing past 25 yrs. Ridiculous already. If it weren’t for football, the University wouldn’t be what it is. The football program deserves better. Lisa, your holier than thou demeanor is why people can’t stand ND, it’s gross and off-putting. Kid’s going to OSU and Bama etc, are still getting a college degree but also have winning/dominate football programs. Meanwhile, ND has become the laughing-stock of college football.

Okay, first let me address the above comments. In my opinion, Notre Dame will never relax academic standards to the extent that many fans want them to. They may give athletes a little more breathing room, but at the end of the day, the reason they are called student-athletes is because they are students first, and athletes second. Also, Notre Dame doesn’t owe the fans anything, however, they do owe each and every one of those kids a top-notch education; that’s what they are in college for. Football just happens to be an added bonus.

I love the comment “do you know the game of football or just write books?” The question is so ironic to me. I love Notre Dame and ND football so much, that I chose to write books about it. I may not know the Xs and Os of football as much as a coach or player does, but I do think I know a thing or two about the game of football, and I love Notre Dame football with every ounce of my being, and want nothing more than to see the program be successful. But not at the expense of academics.

Okay, here are a few more comments I’ve received as of late.

• Football put ND on the map and stirred a subway following stung by a WASP America. ND is excellence not mediocrity. It’s embarrassing to view this product. Those 40 yr kids deserve better
• The fact he had a chance after 4-8 is the problem in the first place. You people are the problem.
• Yeah b/c obviously altering academics would help. ND is ND b/c of football not academics despite what some of you think. Football drives in the money. No one is paying thousands of dollars to watch a PowerPoint. The only way to wake up the echoes is to shut up the nerds.
• Don’t bitch about academics slipping in 30 years when ND’s a $h!t hole compared to what it is now. You are literally the problem.
• Not when your opinions are wrong. They’ve been trying to do it your way for years and look where we are. People want to make the comparison to Stanford but Stanford isn’t the goal. Who wants to be like them? Aspiring to be like them is the mistake.
• 9-3 may be good to you but the loyal subway alumni, us Irish Catholics that have put up with 8-4, 9-3, 7-5, 4-8 for the last 30, yes 30 years are tired, and we make the program go. Rockne knew this. If u keep BK go to the MAC we can win there.

And now to address these comments. In my opinion, I think the 40 years that these kids are getting for their 4 years at Notre Dame will be filled with world-class opportunities. I also am very aware of the fact that very few ND football players, or college football players in general, make it in the NFL; so that paper they carry with them into life, with Notre Dame written across the top, is invaluable. I don’t think Notre Dame football is embarrassing. I don’t think that shutting up the nerds will wake up the echoes. And I don’t think Notre Dame is in a spiral of decline because Brian Kelly hasn’t won a national championship.

Now of course, these are just a small sampling of the things I’ve heard in the past few days. Yes, some of the arguments have been intelligent, and some of the conversations have been civil, and I encourage for those conversations to continue. But let’s be respectful of one another, appreciate all of the differing opinions, and keep in mind that at the end of the day, these football players are just kids.

Okay, I’ve rambled on way too long. What do you think? Am I totally off base? Can you enlighten me and tell me why I am wrong? I want to hear it. Lets keep cultivating a respectful, civil conversation, and of course … GO IRISH!

Cheers!

P.S. If I don’t respond to your comments right away, I’m not ignoring you … things are just crazy busy at work and I’ll respond as soon as I can!

The post The Question That’s on Everyone’s Mind appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Family –

It’s been a minute since I last took the time to write. And although there have been many things come across my desk to write about, I couldn’t pass on this opportunity to share some meddled thoughts with you.

So here goes …

Ahhhhhh, Baker Mayfield. Some Sooner fans would go so far as to call him the ‘darling of the NCAA,’ a real American success story. A kid who worked hard and through his efforts, drive and determination earned not only a full athletic scholarship from the University of Oklahoma, but basically willed himself into the starting quarterback position. And now, as a senior, finds himself in the driver’s seat as the front-runner for the coveted Heisman Trophy!

By the numbers Mayfield has gotten better every year, increasing his completion percentage in each of the last three seasons. Up from under 65% as a freshman at Texas Tech, to above 70% as a senior at OU, and currently on track to break his own record of 38 touchdown passes from last season; there’s no question that the dude can play.

However, before we crown him as the best of all time let’s be honest here for a second; Mayfield isn’t the first walk-on to earn a scholarship, ball out and become a collegiate superstar; nor will he be the last. Things like that happen all the time. That’s what we love about college football; the underdog rising from obscurity and becoming the representative voice of the silent majority who can only live vicariously through his on-field successes as they’re glued to their HDTV screens each weekend!

NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND (Lee Corso voice)!

Beyond his on-field accolades, Mr. Mayfield has exhibited behaviors that are eerily similar to Johnny Manziel, and I for one am done with seeing him in front of the camera during his post-game interviews making some form of apology for an incident where he didn’t “make the best choice,” or “use the best judgement” or “got caught up in the moment.” I’m not saying everything he’s done is worthy of the death penalty, but c’mon bro… you know better. You’re the quarterback for one of the most storied football programs of all time. I’m pretty sure you’re more than aware of the multiple cameras on you at all times… and still you have no self-control (we Servites call it Mastery of Self) to look at the ripple effect caused by your selfish actions.

Not following? Lemme ‘splain.

When I speak about the ripple effect I’m speaking of what you see when a rock is tossed into a pool or a calm lake, that creates ripples from one side to the other… in essence those ripples could go on forever right? Let’s take Mayfield’s inability to control himself as an example of the ripple effect. Those decisions impact not only him, but the metal health of the football team, the coaching staff and the entire athletic department and its administration. Additionally, I’m almost certain that the provost, president and executive leadership of OU have fielded a few explicit calls about how his “competitive spirit” is being perceived by the Sooner faithful, so before you know it Mayfield isn’t starting or even a captain for his last home football game. Mayfield’s misplaced competitiveness finally met an unfortunate end with last week’s vulgar ignorance on display for all to see.

Am I being clear?

Here are a couple of questions for those who would think Mayfield’s punishment is too harsh or unsubstantiated. Please try to answer honestly to avoid sounding unreasonable, ok? At what point should Mayfield be held accountable for his actions? His arrest in February didn’t do the trick. I’m guessing public drunkenness, fleeing and resisting arrest wasn’t enough and making inappropriate remarks before the Baylor game wasn’t worthy of a conversation either. Obviously, he isn’t learning anything from the additional face time he’s earning at the podium; when does the university finally stand up and say:

“Yo! We’ve had enough of this dude. We’re tired of the same canned apology at the podium overshadowing the team’s on-field success with a first-year head coach and a Heisman trophy frontrunner who used to be a walk-on! That’s the story we want to hear about… that’s the story that wins the Heisman!!”

In fact, what would you have a university do whose football program has most recently had a highly publicized domestic violence issue in 2015/2016 and follow that up the following season with a Heisman-hopeful quarterback grabbing his crotch and swearing at his opponents on national television in 2017? From where I sit, he’s lucky Lou Holtz isn’t his coach; his collegiate career might well be over.

How about character? How important is what student-athletes/role models do or how they appear while [literally] millions of people are watching? Here… let me answer that one for you. Any number of athletes can run fast and make plays; it takes a special individual to do the right thing even when it’s the unpopular, inconvenient thing for them to do. I’ll take “self-control” for $1000 Alex (pardon the Jeopardy reference couldn’t help myself).

Then there’s the Heisman Race to consider. I don’t get a vote with the committee so you can ponder whether you believe he should be honored with the Heisman Trophy or not which by the way honors;

“the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.”

Not my words, those are taken directly from the Heisman Trophy motto (insert thinking-face emoji here). That said, I guess that last part went out the window with OJ, Reggie Bush and Johnny Manziel so I guess the tarnish on the award doesn’t really matter.

Just sayin …

I think we’ve seen this movie before; when an electrifying under-sized playmaker from Texas A&M exploded on the scene. All of the warning signs were there with him as well. We ALL chose to ignore them and we crowned one of the biggest public spectacles as our Heisman Trophy winner and then proceeded to systematically and deliberately destroy him in the media for what we already knew he was capable of. Unfortunately, all movies shouldn’t have a sequel.

I dunno … I guess it makes for good debating material; I mean, I am writing this short article about him, right? Beyond the update we’ll be sure to receive within the next few weeks from our chosen mobile phone manufacturers, I suppose we can also upgrade Baker Mayfield to Johnny Manziel 2.0 … you’ve all been duly warned.

Thanks, Oscar, for another outstanding post!

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming … GO Irish! BEAT Stanford! 

The post Baker Mayfield; Johnny Football 2.0? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

This year’s rivalry was about as good as it gets, and a convincing Irish win always makes for a fun weekend! Not only did I get to see the Irish beat the Trojans first hand, I also got to watch Notre Dame hockey on Thursday night, catch up with many old friends throughout the course of the weekend, and got to make some new friends as well.

Here is my photo diary of another epic Notre Dame – USC weekend!

I started the weekend off in Indianapolis, where I spoke to the members of the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Indianapolis at their weekly football luncheon. I had a little free time after lunch, so I took a walk around downtown as it was an absolutely stunning day.

After a refreshing walk around Indy, I was able to get to South Bend in time to make the hockey game. I used to love to watch hockey games as a student at Notre Dame, and now that we have the fabulous new Compton Family Arena, any chance I get to catch a hockey game … I take it!

On Friday morning, I got up bright and early so that I could spend as much time walking around campus as possible. It’s not very often that I have a free day all to myself, so I wanted to make the most of it. Here are a few snapshots I took around campus:

I swung by the bookstore to sell a few copies of “The Men We Became: More Echoes From the End Zone.”

Ran into a friend from college …

And of course stopped by the stadium!

Saturday was equally as fantastic! I ran into the lovely ladies of The New ND Network.

Picked up my press credentials and took a stroll through the stadium.

Tailgated with some Notre Dame greats, including the legendary running back, Lee Becton.

The game was incredible, starting off with this stunning sunset.

Our halftime entertainment was none other than the band CHICAGO!

Photo courtesy of Leigh Torbin

And the game was everything we had hoped for.

It was nothing short of a spectacular weekend!

Now we look ahead to North Carolina State, being careful not to look too far ahead at what could be, and to just take it one day, and one game, at a time. This team has come so far in such a short time. I can’t wait to see what this weekend has in store for us!

Cheers & GO IRISH!

The post A Tale of a Trojan and a Leprechaun appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Hate State Week

“Hate State week,” and I say that as affectionately as I possibly can, is one of my favorite weeks of the Notre Dame football season. There are some rivalries that bring out an excitement unlike any others. You can add Michigan, USC and Navy to my shortlist, but Michigan State is at the top of my list as it involves a family rivalry for me (my aunt went to Michigan State and is also a huge college football fan).

Rivalries

Rivalries are what make college football so interesting to me. Yes, you may have rivalries in the NFL, but college football rivals are unmatched in comparison. Sure, the Steelers fans hate the Ravens, and the Browns fans hate the Bengals, but there is nothing like a good Notre Dame versus Big Ten school rivalry, or the historic Notre Dame versus USC rivalry. My family and I were just talking last night at dinner about how much more exciting college football is than the NFL. I’m not sure if the paycheck changes the game, or the fact that the camaraderie in the NFL is just not the same as on a college team, but I would rather watch a college game, even a college football game not involving my own team, hands-down over watching an NFL game.

To Social or not to Social

As we were talking about watching college football, I started to think about how my college football watching experience has changed over the years. I always enjoy watching games with my father, and of course I enjoy watching the games in person at Notre Dame stadium (or any college stadium for that matter); but when I am not at a game, my game watching experience is much different today than what it used to be.

I do still enjoy going to game watches with my local ND alumni club, but more times than not, I would rather be sitting on my couch, in front of the TV, and in front of my computer watching the game along with my Twitter friends. Is that weird? When I am in a bar with my local friends, I feel like I spend way more time chatting, and way less time actually watching the game. And I, personally, I really do enjoy watching the games. It is not that I don’t like to spend time with people, I do. But when I’m watching Notre Dame football, I really want to concentrate on watching Notre Dame football.

Freedom of Expression

And then you add Twitter to the mix. I know, it may seem really weird to you, but I do get a lot of value out of watching the commentary on Twitter, in combination with watching the game on my TV, in my living room. The scenario also gives me more freedom to yell and scream at the TV, and throw things at will. The dogs, well they do not particularly appreciate that scenario, however, I do like being able to freely express myself, without offending someone.

I am still undecided as to whether or not I will watch this weeks game with our local club (at Felix’s Pizza Pub in DogTown … shameless plug), or in my living room, in front of my TV, with my computer on my lap and the Twitter feed flowing. What is your preferred way to watch a Notre Dame football game?

Cheers & GO IRISH!

The post Hate State Week and Other Rivalries appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Image courtesy of ChicagoTribune.com

(This was originally a guest post from Lisa Kelly on the Diary of Sidelines and Pearls. Please check out Erica Barnett’s unique take on college football at the Diary of Sidelines and Pearls.)

Who is Brian Kelly?

At this point, in his eighth year as the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame, many people are pretty sure that they know who Brian Kelly is; but I am not so sure. In year eight, Coach Kelly certainly isn’t the same person he was in year one.

He’s learned many lessons, has had both triumphs and failures, and has evolved his coaching style in order to keep bettering his craft. Coach Kelly is no more defined by his 12-0 season, than he is by his 4-8 season. And he’s matured from the coach screaming on the sideline as the game marched on, to the coach firmly yet still emphatically teaching his players what is necessary in the moment, in order to also better their craft.

He may not have completely understood what it was going to take to be successful at a school like Notre Dame, where the concept of the student-athlete is the norm and not the exception; but he’s certainly put in the effort to evolve into the man and coach that Notre Dame requires of the head coach of their football team. He also isn’t the first coach to arrive at Notre Dame not in total understanding of what was in front of him.

Haters Gonna Hate

Heading into week four, with a record of 2-1, the haters are already very prevalent, and doing their absolute best to make their voices heard. Press conferences are tense, and as seen after the loss to Georgia, a quick temper can still get the better of Coach Kelly. But that is pretty normal when you are under the intense scrutiny that the head coach of Notre Dame is under. While the media does absolutely deserve to be respected, the media and fans need to recognize the constant pressure that Coach Kelly is under, everywhere he goes. From the University, the team, the fans, the media; being the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame means there is very little downtime, which can become quite exhausting.

The Georgia game may not have brought the intended outcome, but Coach Kelly has put the wheels of change in motion and we owe him the chance to let this season play out. He has restructured his coaching staff in order to set his team up for success. He has placed a greater emphasis on the Notre Dame “student-athlete,” and has made a conscious effort to make relationship building a priority. With only three games under his belt this season, Coach Kelly deserves our patience, and the time to implement his renovated football program. Like the newly renovated stadium, there are still a few kinks that need to be worked out, but not only is Coach Kelly taking responsibility for what has happened so far this season, but his players are as well.

I am looking forward to watching the rest of the season play out. I wish the “Fire Kelly” crowd would simmer down a bit and let him do his job. He has shown us he can bring our team to greatness, and I believe he can do it again.

Cheers & GO IRISH!

The post The Evolution of a Head Coach appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.