Wide Right, Way Wide Right...

Some years ago, a distinguished Indiana School Superintendent served to mentor my development as a School Administrator.  Dr. Joe Rice, Superintendent for the Elkhart, Indiana School Corporation would always say, “visit your schools regularly, identify young potential talent, don’t forget above Vocational Training, and build trust with your Administrative Team members.  That’s the way they do it at Notre Dame, It’s all about trust.”

Why the Irish? We both represented public institutions, but being in close proximity to South Bend, Dr. Rice admitted to carefully observing the Notre Dame Management style. TRUST, that’s what it is all about at the Golden Dome. For the life of me, Brian Kelley, after three seasons on the South Bend Campus YOU didn’t catch on to that sacred core value.  You’d always talked about personal flirtations with the NFL as being a matter of time and place. You not only interviewed for the Philadelphia Eagles job in Miami, but your agent obviously had scheduled it even before your young student athletes competed in the National Championship game. How shallow does it get? This was the wrong damn time and the wrong damn place.

The unfortunate thing is that you were making progress during your “bubble year” at Notre Dame (Yes, Notre Dame Nation was watching very carefully)

You had cleanly leveraged 8 win seasons into one beyond expectations

You advanced ND football into the “national” conversation (which college football needed)

You improved on your sideline behavior; expletives and rants and raves more infrequent

You understood that talent matchup’s; like good defense, are personified at this level  

You realized you didn’t have to sell tickets; just coach (every ND game is a sellout)

You managed to gain the support of the ND legends Parseghian and Holtz (in progress)

You captured the feeling of the Luck of the Irish after that misused PITT Field Goal

So now what?  At best, a contract extension fosters a delicate institutional relationship; leaving Rev. John Jenkins and other administrators awaiting the implementation of your ‘time and place” philosophy. Even Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick is probably wondering why he ever left his Indianapolis Law Practice to put up with this.  

Brian you blew it. If this had been a punt, you would have shanked it for maybe ten yards. In comparison to the PITT miss, your field goal would have been way wide right. So you’d better get the message Brian. And for all the Brian Kelley’s in Intercollegiate Athletics, whatever your sport, you guys don’t need agents; you need counselors.