Okay…let me get this straight. Last Saturday QB Demetrius Jones dressed for Notre Dame’s home game against Penn State, which the Irish lost. This Saturday ESPN reported that Jones has enrolled at Northern Illinois University where he hopes to play football next year. Now, I am not an expert on NCAA regulations. However, assuming that Jones is not paying his own tuition, room, board and fees to attend NIU, am I supposed to believe that within five school days (Sept 10 –14) the following events took place:
- Jones contacted NIU and initiated contact with the coaching staff who would have told him he needed a release from Notre Dame.
- Jones contacted the Notre Dame athletic department and asked for a release from his scholarship.
- The release was granted.
- Jones filled out an application to NIU.
- NIU reviewed the Jones’ application and financial paper and granted him admission for classes at NIU which began on August 27.
- Charlie Weis learns the Jones’ has “missed the bus” for the Friday team trip to Michigan. Somehow he is surprised (see item # 2)
Someone out there, please explain to me how all this can happen. There is nothing at the NIU admissions website that indicates that such a rapid transfer of students is even possible. Maybe Jones has only enrolled. Maybe he won’t begin classes until January. Maybe he will be coming to school as a walk-on player, paying his own way. But I doubt it. Every single stinking word of this story. Where is the NIU Athletic Director? Where is the NIU President? Where is the NCAA?
And why am I starting to think that Charlie Weis is the mirror image of his mentor Bill Belichick?
