Thursday, August 15, 2024

Notre Dame Suspends Men's Program For One Year


Notre Dame's Athletics Director Pete Bevacqua let the members of the Men's Swimming team know that their sport has been suspended for one year --- in light of the findings of an internal investigation where it was determined the team had a widespread gambling issue...

This is coming off the heels of a Top Ten finish at the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championship and the gold and silver Olympic medals of its star performer Chris Guiliano.

Here is Pete Bevacqua's statement:

"After receiving reports of possible misconduct on our men's swimming team, the University of Notre Dame engaged the law firm of Ropes & Gray LLP to conduct an in-depth review, which is now complete. The external review confirmed and expanded on our initial concerns about a deeply embedded team culture dismissive of Notre Dame's standards for student-athletes, including our expectation that they treat one another with dignity and respect. This independent, external review also documented numerous violations of NCAA rules prohibiting gambling on intercollegiate swimming and other athletic competitions despite clear and recurrent training provided to all our student-athletes by our Athletics Compliance staff about those rules. These findings are contrary to the University's values and all that we stand for in Notre Dame Athletics. In order to ensure that this behavior ends and to rebuild a culture of dignity, respect, and exemplary conduct, we have decided to suspend the men's swimming program for at least one academic year.

While individual conduct varied, the overwhelming cultural dynamic on the team necessitates a full suspension. We profoundly regret that the small number of team members who did not participate in the conduct, and those who were planning on joining the team this fall, will also suffer the consequences of this decision. We deeply value our responsibilities as educators and our commitment to our student-athletes, and will work with other University offices as appropriate to provide support to those affected by our decision. While we are certainly disappointed by the actions that led to the decision, we recognize that our students make mistakes, and our goal is to educate and support them to the best of our ability.

The coaching staff participated in and fully cooperated with all aspects of the external review. The review found that the staff was not aware of gambling or the scope and extent of other troubling behaviors because team members effectively concealed such behaviors from the coaches and staff through concerted efforts. According to the review, when the staff became aware of certain isolated incidents of unacceptable conduct, they treated them seriously and professionally. We appreciate the continued service of the staff to our women's swimming and diving programs and our men's diving program during these difficult times.

As stated at the launch of the review, we take seriously our obligation to foster a community of student-athletes who not only compete and perform at the highest level academically and athletically, but whose conduct reflects the University's values. We hope this decision sends a clear and unequivocal message reaffirming that commitment and expectation. And, as we do after any major action, we will continue to review our internal processes and reporting structures to ensure that we are doing all that we can to nurture a positive experience for all Notre Dame student-athletes. We will work even harder to provide a welcoming and safe community for all our students."

LINK:  STORY

Manti Te'o Joins the NFL Network Broadcast Team

Texans Rookie Blake Fisher Getting Some Attention

Can Notre Dame OC Mike Denbrock Boost Fighting Irish?

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Here Come The Irish -- August 29 on Peacock

Domer Owusu-Koramoah Signs Three-Year Extension!


Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah just signed a three-year contract extension with the Cleveland Brown worth $39,000,000.  This new contract ($25 million is guaranteed) moves Owusu-Koramoa onto Notre Dame's all-time professional sports compensation list, just ahead of NFL Hall of Famer, Bryant Young:

  • Monty Williams:  $125,900,000 
  • Harrison Smith:  $122,735,243 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2026 
  • Quenton Nelson:  $118,010,393 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2026
  • Mike McGlinchey:  $116,981,966 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2026
  • Jeff Samardzija:  $116,341,666
  • Zack Martin:  $113,240,531 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2025
  • Ronnie Stanley:  $108,645,183 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2024
  • AJ Pollock:  $78,498,337
  • Anders Lee:  $66,044,038 -- guaranteed contract to 2025
  • Troy Murphy:  $66,000,000 
  • Kyle Rudolph:  $59,936,853 
  • Cole Kmet:  $59,161,763 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2027
  • Golden Tate:  $56,421,672
  • Stephon Tuitt:  $55,710,551
  • Brad Lidge:  $55,335,000 
  • Pat Connaughton:  $50,727,479 -- guaranteed contract to 2026
  • Kyle Palmieri:  $50,192,154 -- guaranteed contract to 2025
  • Bryan Rust:  $46,670,000 -- guaranteed contract to 2028 
  • Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah -- $45,416,217 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2028
  • Bryant Young:  $44,000,000
  • Justin Tuck:  $43,248,463 
  • Romeo Okwara:  $36,855,601
  • John Sullivan:  $35,800,027
  • Jerome Bettis:  $35,122,500
  • Ian Cole:  $35,049,694 -- guaranteed contract to 2025
  • Jeff Faine:  $34,456,892 
  • Will Fuller:  $34,246,582
  • Jaylon Smith:  $33,316,297 -- free agent
  • Joe Alt:  $33,160,944 -- guaranteed contract to 2027
  • Matt Carroll:  $29,537,032 
  • Tim Brown:  $28,432,686
  • Laphonso Ellis:  $27,939,000
  • Rocket Ismail:  $27,885,021
  • Tyler Eifert:  $26,310,317
  • Joe Montana:  $26,000,000 
  • Nick Martin:  $25,185,579 -- free agent
  • Steve Beuerlein:  $22,238,265 

 

LINK:  STORY

Can Notre Dame Football make the Playoffs?

Monday, August 12, 2024

Notre Dame Ranked #7 in AP Preseason Poll


Here's the first AP Poll for the 2024 season -- you'll see the Fighting Irish take on these ranked opponents this season:
  • #10 Florida State
  • #20 Texas A&M
  • #23 USC

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Domer Yared Nuguse Earns an Olympic Bronze Medal!

FUN FACT:  First time since 1912 that the United States of America has two athletes standing on an Olympic awards podium in the 1,500 meters!

Monday, August 5, 2024

Jerian Grant and His Groomsmen -- All ND Alums!

Left to right:  Joey Brooks, Pat Connaughton, Eric Katenda, Jerian Grant, Zach Auguste and Eric Atkins.  Click on image to enlarge.

 

Saturday, August 3, 2024

The Folks at ND Uniform Tracker Posted This Today

Click on image above to enlarge.
 
You can follow ND Uniform Tracker on "X" @ND_unitracker

 

Sunday, July 28, 2024

Golden Is Thy Fame -- Domer's Olympic Gold Medals




 

Saturday, July 13, 2024

Tim Brown Leads the Notre Dame Team in Tahoe

 

Tim Brown made his "FIFTH" hole-in-one yesterday during the First Round of the American Century Celebrity Championship on the shore of Lake Tahoe.  Brown also leads the players with a Notre Dame connection in the tournament going into tomorrow's final round:

9th:  Tim Brown -- 35 points

14th:  Harrison Smith -- 33 points

35th:  John Carlson -- 15 points

41st:  Jerome Bettis -- 10 points

71st:  Joe Theismann -- (-17 points)

83rd:  Kyle Rudolph -- (-33 points)

85th:  Mike Golic -- (-36 points)

 

You can watch tomorrow's FINAL ROUND on NBC.

LINK:  LEADERBOARD



 

Thursday, July 11, 2024

Big 12's Yormark Rumored to Be After Notre Dame

 

LINK:  STORY

Joe Theismann Talks American Century Celebrity Golf

The former Fighting Irish star, Super Bowl Champ and NFL MVP -- sat down with my old colleague Kelly Elbin to talk about the upcoming celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe...

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

Ian Cole Signs Deal w/ Utah Hockey Club


Domer Ian Cole just signed a one-year deal with the NHL's Utah Hockey Club worth $3,100,000.  This guaranteed contract moves Cole, on Notre Dame's all-time professional sports compensation list, to just behind NFL Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis!

  • Monty Williams:  $125,900,000 
  • Harrison Smith:  $122,735,243 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2026 
  • Quenton Nelson:  $118,010,393 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2026
  • Mike McGlinchey:  $116,981,966 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2026
  • Jeff Samardzija:  $116,341,666
  • Zack Martin:  $113,240,531 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2025
  • Ronnie Stanley:  $108,645,183 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2024
  • AJ Pollock:  $78,498,337
  • Anders Lee:  $66,044,038 -- guaranteed contract to 2025
  • Troy Murphy:  $66,000,000 
  • Kyle Rudolph:  $59,936,853 
  • Cole Kmet:  $59,161,763 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2027
  • Golden Tate:  $56,421,672
  • Stephon Tuitt:  $55,710,551
  • Brad Lidge:  $55,335,000 
  • Pat Connaughton:  $50,727,479 -- guaranteed contract to 2026
  • Kyle Palmieri:  $50,192,154 -- guaranteed contract to 2025
  • Bryan Rust:  $46,670,000 -- guaranteed contract to 2028 
  • Bryant Young:  $44,000,000
  • Justin Tuck:  $43,248,463 
  • Romeo Okwara:  $36,855,601
  • John Sullivan:  $35,800,027
  • Jerome Bettis:  $35,122,500
  • Ian Cole:  $35,049,694 -- guaranteed contract to 2025
  • Jeff Faine:  $34,456,892 
  • Will Fuller:  $34,246,582
  • Jaylon Smith:  $33,316,297 -- free agent
  • Joe Alt:  $33,160,944 -- guaranteed contract to 2027
  • Matt Carroll:  $29,537,032 
  • Tim Brown:  $28,432,686
  • Laphonso Ellis:  $27,939,000
  • Rocket Ismail:  $27,885,021
  • Tyler Eifert:  $26,310,317
  • Joe Montana:  $26,000,000 
  • Nick Martin:  $25,185,579 -- free agent
  • Steve Beuerlein:  $22,238,265

Saturday, June 22, 2024

Monty Williams Climbs Up ND's Highest Paid List


This past week the Detroit Pistons made the decision to let Notre Dame alum Monty Williams go while still owing him $65 million for the remaining years of his contract.  Williams made $7.9 million during his NBA playing career.  

 Add on his years as a NBA coach -- with three head coaching stints in New Orleans, Phoenix and Detroit -- Monty did quite well.

NBA head coaching salaries are rarely made public.  Monty was a head coach for nine seasons, before signing his huge contract with the Pistons.  Let's assume that Williams made on average $4 million per year (conservative assumption) over those nine seasons as a head coach and $500,000 per season (conservative assumption) during his 7 seasons as an NBA assistant coach.   This would total $39.5 million.

Williams' Detroit Pistons contract totaled $78.5 million -- add up all of his compensation in professional sports and you have:  $125,900,000 -- which places him FIRST on the all-time list of former Notre Dame student-athletes:

  • Monty Williams:  $125,900,000 
  • Harrison Smith:  $122,735,243 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2026 
  • Quenton Nelson:  $118,010,393 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2026
  • Mike McGlinchey:  $116,981,966 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2026
  • Jeff Samardzija:  $116,341,666
  • Zack Martin:  $113,240,531 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2025
  • Ronnie Stanley:  $108,645,183 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2024
  • AJ Pollock:  $78,498,337
  • Anders Lee:  $66,044,038 -- guaranteed contract to 2025
  • Troy Murphy:  $66,000,000 
  • Kyle Rudolph:  $59,936,853 
  • Cole Kmet:  $59,161,763 -- not guaranteed, contract to 2027
  • Golden Tate:  $56,421,672
  • Stephon Tuitt:  $55,710,551
  • Brad Lidge:  $55,335,000 
  • Pat Connaughton:  $50,727,479 -- guaranteed contract to 2026
  • Kyle Palmieri:  $50,192,154 -- guaranteed contract to 2025
  • Bryan Rust:  $46,670,000 -- guaranteed contract to 2028 
  • Bryant Young:  $44,000,000
  • Justin Tuck:  $43,248,463 
  • Romeo Okwara:  $36,855,601
  • John Sullivan:  $35,800,027
  • Jerome Bettis:  $35,122,500
  • Jeff Faine:  $34,456,892 
  • Will Fuller:  $34,246,582
  • Jaylon Smith:  $33,316,297 -- free agent
  • Joe Alt:  $33,160,944 -- guaranteed contract to 2027
  • Ian Cole:  $31,949,694 -- free agent
  • Matt Carroll:  $29,537,032 
  • Tim Brown:  $28,432,686
  • Laphonso Ellis:  $27,939,000
  • Rocket Ismail:  $27,885,021
  • Tyler Eifert:  $26,310,317
  • Joe Montana:  $26,000,000 
  • Nick Martin:  $25,185,579 -- free agent
  • Steve Beuerlein:  $22,238,265