Posted: Monday, May 30, 2011, 11:11 AM | 11 comments |
 

Notre Dame must honor Declan Sullivan
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Brian Kelly will never be able to shake the shame involved regarding the tragic death of student manager Declan Sullivan, who died in October when a video tower collapsed during unsafe extremely windy conditions while filming practice.

Kelly should not have left Sullivan alone on the tower. The student used Twitter explaining how dangerous it was. The team practiced the day before indoors because of the violent winds.

The school admitted guilt and was fined $77,500 by the state for negligence. They played football for their next scheduled game and the students showed up instead of protesting the nationally-televised game.

Somehow Kelly didn't get fired and the glow of a hollow bowl win over an embarrassing Miami team has continued throughout 2011.

Kelly and his staff sure as hell can recruit, so the return to glory is almost assured. You get the players now and you WILL win later.

But the blood on his hands will never go away.

George O'Leary got fired for a few venial sins on a resume.

Kelly will be playing in a BCS bowl game on New Year's Day and the faithful will be happy. 

But they should never forget Declan Sullivan.
Posted by John Quinn @ 11:11 AM  Permalink | 11 comments
11
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:09 PM, 05/30/2011
    Kelly should have been fired. End of story. That football matters more at Notre Shame is not surprising to most.
    — mlwmlw
  • 0 like this / 1 don't   •   Posted 12:24 PM, 05/30/2011
    The problems in the Notre Dame football organization run deep; this school which was once the leading Catholic university is now an embarassment to its' religion in many ways! Jenkins and Kelly should both be gone!
    — JBinPA
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:04 PM, 05/30/2011
    Kelly is a rude, ignorant loser from Boston
    — shawnmac
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:31 PM, 05/30/2011
    None of your business Quinn.
    — AndyBrown
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:33 AM, 05/31/2011
    yeah, the students should have protested a game without knowing all the facts. unbelievable you blame the students for making the choice to go to a game.
    — JimEisenreich
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:21 AM, 06/01/2011
    Mr. Quinn is leaves out so much.
    — ameadie
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:23 AM, 06/01/2011
    Why bring this up now? A thorough investigation was completed to the satisfaction of Declan’s family. New SOPs are in effect to prevent such a tragedy in the future. I do not see how firing a coach is necessary to prove the university will never forget the young man and will always strive to prevent such a thing from ever occurring again.
    — ameadie
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:58 AM, 06/05/2011
    WOW! The Sports Editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer an old, highly respected newspaper with 10s of thousand of subscribers and, in a week, only 7 now 8 responses. With all the budget cuts, why are they wasting their money on your salary? I agree that something should be done. Rather than complain and find fault, why don't you be a leader and start a Declan Sullivan journalism or film scholarship at Notre Dame. Mr. Quinn, you have an opportunity involve your readers in something positive. Use it. Get your 9 year old involved. He may find something other than cartoons as an interest. Who knows, you may even get more responses to your articles.
    — richirish
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:18 PM, 06/19/2011
    Glad you wrote this. Notre Dame long ago gave up any pretense of being special in the world of college football. Winning, and the money it brings, is the only thing that matters in South Bend, and the school, which once was a paragon of collegiate athletic virtue, now wallows in the mud with the other hogs.
    — John Guiniven
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:17 AM, 06/21/2011
    Way to make the Notre dame haters feel good. And all it took was a couple of cheap shots. You didn't interview anyone. You provided no information from the official investigation. You have no class Mr. Quinn. No one from the Declan family called for Coach to fired, may God comfort them. The Miami win was a culmination of a four game win steak with wins against ranked Utah and at USC. Nothing hollow about that.
    — ameadie
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:29 AM, 06/29/2011
    Mr Quinn why in the world would you bring this up now? The school and the state did a investigation and the family of Declan approved of the results. It was a accident and tragedy that Coach Kelly and the rest of the University of Notre Dame will never forget. From your bio you sound like a ND football fan but your column makes you sound like a typical jealous Penn State fan. Mr Quinn you took some cheap shots so obviously your love for the Irish was not from the heart. And as for you Mr Guiniven, shawnmac, JBinPA, and mlwmlw WE ARE ND!
    — Knute10


11 comments
About John Quinn
John Quinn, 57, is sports editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer and is a third generation member of the Subway Alumni.

His grandfather used to listen to the radio and yell out to his son playing on the hardscrabble streets of Corona, Queens: “Bill Shakespeare just threw another touchdown pass!”
His father used to listen to the transistor radio and yell out to his son playing for Stony Brook on Long Island: “Joe Montana just threw another touchdown pass!”
He listens to the radio and yells out to his son watching Phineas and Ferb on a 46-inch HDTV: “Dayne Crist just threw another touchdown pass!” Meanwhile, Jack, 9, will not be a fourth generation member of the Subway Alumni.
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