Decisions involving Notre Dame players in academic fraud investigation expected soon
It has been over a month since Notre Dame announced it would be launching an internal investigation into suspected academic fraud involving five football players. The future of those five players – KeiVarae Russell, DaVaris Daniels, Ishaq Williams, Kendall Moore and Eilar Hardy – could be decided relatively soon.
Head coach Brian Kelly said Tuesday, according to IrishIllustrated.com, that hearings on the matter could conclude “by the end of next week.”
“Friday of last week, I was informed that the academic committee has been formed officially, and that they will – if all things move in the manner that they’re hoping and that they’re able to get through all the information – get their hearings concluded by the end of next week,” said Kelly at his Tuesday press conference.
The five players have not practiced with the team since mid-August when it was discovered that there was evidence others had written papers and completed homework assignments for them. The players have been held out of all three games so far this season too and will also be held out Saturday against Syracuse.
Kelly said he has been in conversations with Notre Dame officials, including vice president and director of athletics Jack Swarbrick, throughout the process, but would not offer any specific updates. He did say, however, that conversations about improving the way similar situations would be handled in the future have taken place.
“These are dialogues that Jack and I are having not after the season; we’re having them as they occur,” Kelly said. “There are clearly ways that we believe, internally, that we need to get better. We don’t wait until January to have those conversations. We’re having them right now.”
Kelly said he was not sure if the NCAA would get involved or potentially vacate wins from past seasons.
“I do not have any knowledge of vacating wins or NCAA implications. I have not been informed of that, and whether that is impending, I think I would have been informed of all those things if we were in that kind of immediacy,” Kelly said.
“What I do know is that a committee of this fashion has not, in my understanding, been set up before. It’s a very complicated situation. There are a lot of pieces. We’re probably going down a path that (Notre Dame) has never gone (down) before.”
Notre Dame president John Jenkins said last week that the investigation involves a student who “served for a brief time as a paid student employee of the athletic department.” Jenkins added that he did not think any members of the athletic department’s full-time staff had any involvement.
Three of the five players involved – Daniels, Russell and Williams – were listed as starters on the Irish’s depth chart during preseason camp. Moore and Hardy were reserves.
Daniels, a wide receiver, caught 49 passes for 745 yards and five touchdowns in 2013. Russell, a defensive back, registered 51 tackles and had one interception in 2013, while Williams, a defensive lineman, had 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season.
Moore is a backup linebacker who played in all 13 games and had 17 tackles and one interception. Hardy was not listed on the team’s 2014 two-deep depth chart, but he started two games in 2013 and recorded 26 tackles.
For more Notre Dame news, visit IrishIllustrated.com.
- - - - - - -
Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
