Yesterday, we received something in our inbox prompted by a post from our friends at One Foot Down who had a call to ditch the Leprechaun for good ‘ol Clashmore Mike. This citizen of the internet, whom wished to remain anonymous, fancied not the cuddles of puppies and good boy memes (for the record, Clashmore Mike will own a 12/10 rating), but wished to deliver their insight into the psyche of the athletic department about said historic Leprechaun selections that may have just shielded Notre Dame from NCAA wrist-slapping.

Yes, you read that right. We have a tip form an anonymous source shedding light on mascot selection procedures and the NCAA implications it may have carried. That is the best sentence I have ever written on HLS and may or may not be the main reason we are going to take a trip down a path certainly less traveled. I can think of no better encapsulation of our little corner of the internet.

If you’re still with us after that last paragraph, thanks for being our brand of weird. Now, let your brain gnaw on the fact that the NCAA has more regulations and punishments for mascots, and the symbolism they embody, than they do about universities creating diplomas and majors out of thin air.

If you’re somehow still with us, let’s travel to Champaign, Illinois, where, earlier this week, thirty-eight (!) current and former faculty members wrote to the NCAA demanding Mark Emmett punish the school due to their continued use of “Illini” and “Fighting Illini” as well as citing a lack of institutional control for failing to police the since retired images of their old Chief mascot. Seriously.

The letter specifically recalls 2005, when the NCAA laid down the law in regards to using mascots that Native Americans would find offensive. In fact, the Illini themselves were banned from hosting NCAA post-season play until they ditched the Chief mascot, imagery, and related chants. The letter further cites NCAA rules regarding not just cultural diversity, but also gender equality as well.

Now let’s double-back to our anonymous Leprechaun tipster, whom I’ve buried worse in this lede than the WWE did Zack Ryder.

The claim is that Notre Dame had concern internally that the NCAA would call shenanigans on the Leprechaun, claiming it as gender-exclusive, racially exclusive, and promoting a stereotype offense to the Irish. So, small, stealthy seeds of change were sewn and the first test, having a beardless Leprechaun last year, helped remove a very visible barrier to gender exclusivity. With a distinct lack of alumni burning diplomas, you then have three incredibly talented Leprechaun’s trotted out to larger ND media-machine fanfare than usual to effectively shoot down any perceptions of exclusivity and keep the NCAA at bay.

Now, I share this not because I wish to claim Samuel Jackson, Lynnette Wukie, and Conal Fagan are pawns selected solely because they checked boxes for minority, female, and native Irishman so we can keep our beloved mascot and the name “Fighting Irish”. Far from it.

Instead, our tipster demonstrated the athletic department manages to plug themselves far more into battling the perception battle that we give them credit for. Perception can absolutely form reality, especially these days when people search for posts from certain outlets or blogs (*nervously tugs at collar*) to confirm their own bias.

For example, if you’ve spent any amount of time on the internet, you’ve probably had at least one idiot mention that “Fighting Irish” is offensive. Forget the fact that Notre Dame reclaimed the phrase and wore it like a badge of honor, especially after a tussle with the Klu Klux Klan. It’s bad and offensive because reasons!

Sure, Mike Brown was the first Leprechaun of color in Notre Dame history, but using similar (terrible) logic as demonstrated above, Mike becomes the exception and not the rule. Under foggy-logic-glasses, the Leprechaun moves from being a representation of the spirit of the student body, but a caricature of an offensive stereotype.

Even I am guilty of falling into this perception-is-reality trap myself. Travel back in time and ask me what I thought Leprechaun requirements were and I would absolutely have said “dude with a beard”. Now, had I talked to cheer coach Delayna Herndon, she would’ve set me straight saying such conclusions were nothing more than myth.

Sometimes seeing is believing and more importantly, seeing opens up doors and encourages people to run through team. Samuel directly credited both seeing and meeting Mike Brown as inspiration. While women have tried out for serving as Leprechaun in the past, Lynnette will serve as a visible reminder that the tryouts aren’t just some lip-service courtesy, but a possibility.

And Conal becoming the first native Irishman to don the green suit is just ridiculously cool no matter how you slice it.

Basically, Notre Dame hit the trifecta with this talented bunch. Going all-in in promoting it, which typically isn’t seen for a leprechaun selection, might just be the easiest PR decision of all time. It’s not just a stark contrast to whatever is going on over at the University of Illinois, but, more importantly, the Leprechaun will reflect the student body in a manager that it never has before.

And sure, at the end of the day, it’s just a student in a costume trying to pump up the crowd and play to the camera. But for someone that once thought his application to Notre Dame was a waste of time and money–because what business does a half-Mexican Protestant from Texas have doing at a prestigious Catholic University in the Midwest–I am thrilled to see this rarely seen reflection of the place I called home for four years.

It’s certainly a lot more inspiring than a dog trotting along the sideline (still love you, Clashmore Mike).

Oh, and welcome back actual football practices, we missed you.

The post Let’s Talk Leprechauns appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Our team motto for the year:

CULTURE BEATS SCHEME

Each day is a chance to build our culture on & off the field. pic.twitter.com/uYkZPcoFhV

— Brian Kelly (@CoachBrianKelly) July 13, 2015

Any time that Notre Dame releases anything football related, one can’t help but wonder what was left on the cutting room floor. Well, we here at Her Loyal Sons have obtained the list of rejected mottos that were beaten out*:

• WE’RE GOING TO MAKE IT REALLY CLEAR THAT THIS ISN’T LIKE A CHARLIE WEIS COACHED TEAM, DECIDEDLY
• TOTALLY NOT ANOTHER KELLY’S MOTTO
• THE ROAD TO 8-4 STARTS HERE
• TIME TO COMPLETE THE NFL RESUMÉ
• SEE YOU AT THE CROSSROADS
• WIN ONE FOR THE JUMBOTRON
• ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER STARTING QB
• STOP TURNING THE BALL OVER
• PREPARE FOR HEARTBREAK
• ACADEMIC VIOLATIONS ARE BAD, MMMMMMKAY
• STAY HEALTHY, PLEASE
• NO, SERIOUSLY, THE ENTIRE DEFENSE CAN’T GET INJURED AGAIN
• FOUR VERTS VIOLATES PARIETALS
• MICHIGAN STILL HASN’T SCORED
• RUN THE DAMN BALL
• ABANDON ALL HOPE YE RUN THE DAMN BALERS

* May or may not be totally made up and typed with my tongue firmly in my cheek. Thanks for the offseason layup, BK. Go Irish!

The post Rejected Mottos for the 2015 Notre Dame Football Season appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Now, with that all being said (and hopefully a bit of perspective given), let’s dig into the latest with Eddie Vanderdoes.

Most of what we have are loads of rumors and nothing concrete. Here’s is a list of everything that flew around most websites today in discussion of said rumors:

• Major academic issues that would keep Vanderdoes from enrolling
• Minor academic issue that would be settled
• ND admissions dropped the ball
• Vanderdoes had a change of heart
• Vanderdoes had a strained relationship with the coaching staff
• There have been issues for months that have yet to be settled
• Vanderdoes expected to try and go to UCLA

All of the above possibilities came from just about all corners of the internet. Pick your favorite ND message board, recruiting site, or Twitter and you’ll find all of them mentioned there.

The only thing that is for certain is that no one seems to want to make any declarative statement one way or the other right now. Everyone, even those media members that are rather well connected, are waiting for Vanderdoes to break his silence and clear the air.

The only other thing that we know for certain is that, if Vanderdoes doesn’t go to ND, he finds himself in quite the bind. He has already signed his Letter of Intent and that is a binding contract for one year. Notre Dame would have to grant Eddie a release from this contract in order for him to attend another school. Otherwise, he will have to sit out for a year.

Notre Dame now finds themselves in a similar situation as Florida State, who are having some five-star issues of their own right now. Granting a release from a LOI simply because a student athlete changes their mind appears to be a rather dangerous precedent. We are already in an era in which a “commitment” can mean very little and if that extends to LOIs, signing day itself becomes rather meaningless as well.

And, with words I never thought I’d type, I”m definitely of the same mindset of Florida State in this matter. You can’t tear up LOIs based on what amounts to buyer’s remorse.

To add another layer to this story, late last night, Joe Davidson of the SacBee, and the man that emceed Vanderdoes’ signing day ceremony, took to Twitter to give his take as well as statements from the family and Eddie’s coaches.

Lot of speculation that national tecruit DT Eddie Vanderdoes may not be headed to Notre Dame after all. Tracking it now

— Joe Davidson (@SacBee_JoeD) May 21, 2013

Vanderdoes signed a binding contract with Notre Dame. Would need ND to release him if he wanted to head elsewhere – like UCLA. Tracking

— Joe Davidson (@SacBee_JoeD) May 21, 2013

Vanderdoes really liked UCLA. The Notre Dame appeal is powerful. Something is brewing but not exactly sure. High character kid he is

— Joe Davidson (@SacBee_JoeD) May 21, 2013

As emcee for Vanderdoes announcement on letter of intent day, EV was genuinely ecstatic about ND.Has worked out tirelessly of late

— Joe Davidson (@SacBee_JoeD) May 21, 2013

I did get this from Vanderdoes family: grades, eligibility or conduct/character "is not and has never been an issue."

— Joe Davidson (@SacBee_JoeD) May 21, 2013

If Vanderdoes does indeed want out of ND commitment,Irish would have to release for smooth transition.If so,re-opens commitment.

— Joe Davidson (@SacBee_JoeD) May 21, 2013

This was really the first bit of information that came directly from anyone in the Vanderdoes camp, but then Davidson followed up with this tweet taking everything in a completely different direction:

Our Vanderdoes post from letter of intent day when Notre Dame gaffed on his early signature…http://t.co/H9WpSJblWK

— Joe Davidson (@SacBee_JoeD) May 21, 2013

It is quite strange to me that, of all things, Davidson decided to toss that post and ND gaffe back out into the spotlight as all eyes turn to him as a reliable source on this issue. Soon after, Davidson released his post on the matter and yet again, the signing day issue makes a prominent appearance:

Still, there was a snag with Notre Dame seemingly from the start with how the school handled his scholarship commitment. The Vanderdoes family made it clear that they wanted Notre Dame to keep his decision mum to the media so he could enjoy a letter-of-intent signing ceremony later in the afternoon with several classmates who also signed scholarship deals. Most announcements are made early in the morning as colleges prefer to have signed letters as soon as they’re allowed by the NCAA to receive them.

Notre Dame blew that seemingly simple request when Vanderdoes’ name was in fact listed on the morning letter-of-intent announcement released to the media. His name was immediately taken off the sheet, but the secret was already out and hit the national feeds right away.

It seems rather strange that a good portion of Davidson’s post is devoted to what we all thought ended up being a non-issue. Egg on our face for sure, but supposedly a non-issue.

Even stranger, the signing day “issues” followed this rather interesting quote:

As for grades, [Eddie’s coach, Joey] Montoya[,] said Vanderdoes is fine academically, “for Placer and the NCAA, he is for sure.”

What about Notre Dame? Was there some misunderstanding of academic expectations by either party somewhere along the line that caused a snag? The omission appears glaring and definitely seems to be something that Montoya would have added in defense of his star player.

There definitely appears to be quite a bit to the story and it also appears that the Vanderdoes family is using Davidson as something of PR in this situation. Earlier in the post, Eddie’s father stated:

He added in the text, “let people speculate, but you will be the first to know, as always, when it’s time to let people know.”

And later on Twitter, Davidson also had this to add in response to an Irish fan:

@FresnoIrishFan @hansenNDInsider – It's much deeper than anything petty. More to come in the coming days/weeks

— Joe Davidson (@SacBee_JoeD) May 21, 2013

Throughout the night he also made sure to tweet his article to many different media entities as well. Again, it all looked more like PR than anything else.

And honestly, I don’t really know if I can blame anyone for adopting that strategy at this point. Smoke appeared this morning and turned into a raging fire. That fire had to be put out and certain rumors needed to be put to rest. After all, if I’m Eddie’s father, and I know he’s a good kid and see nothing wrong with his grades, you bet your ass I’m texting the reporter I trust the most to get my side of the story out there. After all, Eddie has a future at stake here.

Despite that, I am still a bit soured by the repeated mention of Eddie’s name being leaked early by ND. It’s almost like the genesis of a narrative is forming: Eddie already had trust broken by ND with the leak, ND failed to repair it, and then the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back fell in place. I’m hoping that it this is simply a preemptive step in case things go sour; however, considering how I’m used to the other shoe dropping, I’m definitely ready to find out this is the groundwork for a nasty breakup.

Either way, no matter how the dominoes fall, I definitely hope all ND fans can do four things:

1. Leave Eddie alone on Twitter.
2. Seriously, leave Eddie alone on Twitter.
3. Remember that very little of what we hear, until it is direct from Eddie, his family, or ND, will be actual facts (yes, that includes most of what I wrote in here as well).
4. Losing Eddie would sting, but remember, we still have a badass class (and more five-stars) in this recruiting class.

I still remain hopeful that whatever has happened between Vanderdoes and Notre Dame can be reconciled, but I would be lying if I said I was completely optimistic about the situation. Signs thus far all seem to be pointing to bad news for Irish fans.

Here’s hoping I’m dead wrong.

The post Vanderdoes Having Second Thoughts? Let the Speculation Begin appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.