Cincinnati Players Disparage Coach Kelly: A Bad Sign for Notre Dame?

A couple of weeks ago, I published a slide show articulating all of the reasons why Notre Dame should hire Cincinnati's Brian Kelly, and yesterday, Notre Dame's athletic director Jack Swarbrick pulled the trigger and did just that.

As an avowed Trojan fan, I am in the process of reconciling my recent desire to offer support for the Fighting Irish with the years of devoted dislike I have nurtured for Notre Dame.

Nonetheless, I can't disregard the fact that I have come to admire and respect Notre Dame fans and I have given in, reluctantly, to a need to both show that old leopards can change their spots and, by doing so, they can offer sincere support for a new friend (at least when they aren't playing my Trojans).

So, despite my documented support of this hire, I also feel obligated to play devil's advocate and point out some possible drawbacks that await the Irish now that Brian Kelly is their coach.

Some of these "drawbacks" are subjective and reflect the hurt of the Bearcat players that Kelly leaves behind.

Thus, they are borne of an emotional response of Cincinnati players who felt they have been jilted.

Regardless, they must be acknowledged, because there is an underlying history that may affect Notre Dame later.

That history is that Brian Kelly has never been shy about leaving for greener pastures.

Departing Grand Valley State for Central Michigan, and then just a few short years later making off for a better opportunity at Cincinnati, Kelly has never let allegiance to an employer get in the way of his own personal pursuits.

Now, I am not condemning Kelly for this.

In America, every citizen has the right, and some would say, the obligation, to better one's self.

However, it would be naive to think that if Brian Kelly finds success at Notre Dame and the NFL comes calling, that he won't listen.

And leave, if the deal is right.

Now back to the comments of Bearcat players regarding their ex-coach.

Suffice to say, they are pissed.

Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati's all-everything wide receiver, said that he "didn't like it" and he felt "there was a little lying in the whole thing."

Bearcat tight end Ben Guidugli said he felt like Kelly was "turning his back on them."

Meanwhile, Tony Pike, Cincinnati's quarterback, implied that Kelly has also misled his team regarding his imminent departure.

And those were some of the milder reactions.

Are these just emotional responses to a feeling of rejection brought upon Bearcat players who feel betrayed?

Yes, but there may some validity for those feelings based on the way that Kelly handled the departure in the weeks leading up to his hire.

When emotions run high, it is difficult to quantify the ethical handling of a situation by a man in coach Kelly's position.

However, there are also other instances of poor judgment in Brian Kelly's background.

When Kelly was first hired at Central Michigan, two of his players were charged with perjury in the trial of other CMU players who were accused of beating a man to death in 2004.

Kelly made a comment that, "A number of them were African-Americans that had been in that culture of violence, and they're taught to look away," Kelly went on, "You don't want anything to do with it. Get out of there. You don't say anything to anybody."

For this, Kelly drew a lot of heat, and rightfully so.

Painting an ethnic group with such a subjective brush is a reckless pursuit, and one that often comes back to bite you.

For his transgression, Brian Kelly was publicly admonished by his athletic director and criticized in the media.

Is this a reason to second-guess this hire?

No, and I say this enthusiastically and with conviction.

Brian Kelly is the right man for this job and I commend Notre Dame for pulling the trigger.

However, as an objective observer with no stake in this other than my concern for my Notre Dame chums, I felt an obligation to show the other side of the coin.

So way to go Notre Dame, you did well by this hire, and good luck in the future as you move forward in the Brian Kelly era.

Except for that one game every year when you play my Trojans.