OT- Brian Kelly is, always has been, and always will be, a terrible human being

Submitted by FatGuyTouchdown on

In an interview on Sirius XM today, Brian Kelly openly admitted he thinks it was a mistake that DeShone Kizer left early for the NFL Draft. Regardless of how true or untrue his opinion is, I find it disingenuous for someone making millions to criticize someone for deciding not to play for free anymore. Kind of an asshole move to call out a former player in such a way. 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/notre-dame/2017/04/03/bri…

 

crg

April 3rd, 2017 at 6:29 PM ^

Item 1: Brian Kelly is an ass.

Item 2: Players leaving a team early to go pro is a good thing.

The first item is an established fact; also, water is wet. The second item is an opinion that is of dubious veracity and can be destructive to team morale if not handled properly.

UM Griff

April 4th, 2017 at 2:03 PM ^

I know several basketball players that played for Knight. You can't condone his methods today, but Bobby Knight truly cared for his players. He made sure they toed the line athletically and academically. They would go through a wall for him.

Esterhaus

April 3rd, 2017 at 5:34 PM ^

It's an exceptional, powerful network in broadcast media, sports and business. A player thinking ahead to life after his time on the field ends, which typically arrives quickly and often due to events beyond control, may very well decide that a few years of life spent in South Bend could pay off well over time. This said, I have spent three hours with Kelly, admittedly alcohol was in play, and I sincerely did not like the man at all and would not want my child to play a sport under him. Kelly is out for Kelly & Co. and that's all.

LSAClassOf2000

April 3rd, 2017 at 6:15 PM ^

Having grown up in Metro Detroit, my initial thought was more along the lines of, "What? He liked Kelly & Company?" then I realized that was such a fine show in its time and Brian Kelly is such a shit person in any time.

Blue_sophie

April 3rd, 2017 at 7:08 PM ^

I'd be curious to know if ND's status as a premiere religious institution is a draw for many athletes. My brother was a pretty devoted catholic, which profoundly shaped his choice of college...
Not that Kelly is a paragon of virtue in this regard, but maybe some athletes chose the school despite the coach's personal failings.

JayMo4

April 4th, 2017 at 6:23 AM ^

It might not be a factor for a lot of players on a personal level, but:

1.  I betcha it's a factor for a lot of parents, even some of them who are not Catholic per se but believe a religious institution is inherently more moral than a secular one (ie I'll send my son to religious school X because they'll keep him out of trouble.)  That's probably a naive assumption (cough cough Baylor cough) but you know some parents think like that.

2.  ND being Catholic gives them an automatic leg up at Catholic high schools.  The coaches at those schools are more likely to give them access in the first place, and furthermore more likely to advocate on ND's behalf to the player.  We know HS coaches can have a huge influence on school choice, so brushing this off as if it's not important would be similar to suggesting a Mississippi school doesn't have an advantage recruiting a Mississippi kid.  Of course they do.

JonnyHintz

April 3rd, 2017 at 7:33 PM ^

Well there's a lot more that goes into the decision of where to play college football than who the head coach is. As a matter of fact, in a lot of situations there is very minimal individual contact with the head coach (most aren't as hands on as Harbaugh). So Kelly being a Grade A dickbag isn't likely to be an issue for most recruits.

Stringer Bell

April 3rd, 2017 at 5:25 PM ^

This ranks awfully low on the long list of terrible things Brian Kelly has done.  He's allowed to have an opinion on the matter and he's allowed to voice it.

Robbie Moore

April 3rd, 2017 at 7:01 PM ^

Kelly lost me with his actions when a student manager was killed when the tower Kelly used to fil practice collapsed in a high wind. Before the collapse Kelly, in his typical asshole manner, screamed that the tower was to be used in spite of people suggesting it was unsafe. Imagine, the man might have lost high angle film of one practice. He should have been fired on the spot. He should have been criminally charged. Lot's of assholes say shitty things...this asshole does unbelievably shitty things.

fergusg

April 3rd, 2017 at 10:09 PM ^

"Well, he still should be in college," Kelly said. "You know, but the circumstances are such that you have to make business decisions and, you know, he felt like it was in his best interest and I’m going to support him and his decision. But the reality of it is he needs more football. He needs more time to grow in so many areas, not just on the field but off the field. He’s a great kid, he’s got great character."



I'm not a Brian Kelly fan, but really this is just faux angst over a nothing comment.

CTG

April 3rd, 2017 at 7:05 PM ^

Agreed.  It's a bad look and serves no purpose... And definitely doesn't help out Kizer.   If he cared at all for Kizer, he would have stayed mute/positive to neutral on his response.  No harm in trying to help the kid get drafted, you know, if you care about him at all...... 

ST3

April 3rd, 2017 at 6:12 PM ^

One can call Brian Kelly a giant douchebag and a megadick while being completely calm. That may be the saddest thing about Kelly. We've just come to accept his giant doucebaggery and megadickness as par for the course.

AA Forever

April 3rd, 2017 at 6:47 PM ^

have voiced about players on our own teams going pro early (both before and after they've left), even though they know little or nothing about their situation, far less than Kelly knew about Kizer's.  So do fans of every big time college sports program, and pundits of all stripes.   It's just one of the many things that sports fans opine and argue about.  Why single Brian Kelly out for this?  

MichiganExile

April 3rd, 2017 at 5:25 PM ^

The title of your thread is accurate, but this honestly doesn't seem like the best example. He was asked his honest opinion about a kid he coached. He gave an honest answer. It was fairly even-handed as he gave out praise but pointed out things he needs to work on. Kelly has literally presided over people dying. Relative to that this is pretty innocuous. 

 

reshp1

April 3rd, 2017 at 5:31 PM ^

Because a kid's former coach saying he's not ready for the NFL hurts his draft stock. There's nothing to gain for Kelly to say it other than to soothe his own ego. 

reshp1

April 3rd, 2017 at 5:44 PM ^

There's a big difference between privately giving GMs honest assessments of a player's strengths and weaknesses versus going on a radio show and issuing a blanket statement that he isn't ready for the NFL.

Edit: He also seemed to question his character off the field, which... what a dick.