Last week Beano Cook was on an ESPN podcast stating that Charlie Weis has lost the student body at Notre Dame. Then on Sunday, the LA Times ran an article with quotes from senior class president Joey Brown stating that Weis did indeed lose the student body.
“When he came here our freshman year, with all of our blissful Notre Dame pride, we loved Charlie Weis,” said Joey Brown, Notre Dame senior class president. “But now I’d say he’s lost us.”
WNDU, however, asked students at the LaFortune Student Center what they felt about Weis and according to their report, the students were supportive of Weis and though he should get another year.
“I feel they’re a little too focused on the instant gratification of wins, wins and wins, you know what I mean,” said student Patrick Kelly. “I feel that Notre Dame still has to deal with the high standards and with that you’re going to have to deal with not being the most successful every year, you know like SC can be and Florida can be.”
It’s not surprising that like all of the stories surrounding Weis’s buyout, there are conflicting reports here. There’s going to be a lot of conflicting reports on a number of issues until there is some sort of definitive statement from the University regarding the future of Weis.
As the AD has indicated, the primary focus will be any coach’s influence on the student-athletes, which is a small percentage of the student body. The students will support a winner, first, and a nice guy, second. Any thoughtful observer of college football can see that academic and social politics are important to any major university coach, but the truth is that the students are a captive audience who will turn out for a coach who makes them look good on national t.v., makes them feel good about going to games, and gives them a positive distraction from the drudgery of study and work. It’s time for the FOOTBALL men in the university and alumni leadership to MAN UP and SPEAK UP and hire a real FOOTBALL COACH. That generally precludes someone who is a Mr. Nice Guy with the students.
From published graduation statistics seems like your comments are lacking….
Most undergrads have a delusion about how lofty the standards are of their particular institution. If Jimmy could get in to ND then there is not a huge problem getting any athlete .