Read the debate intro and the opposing argument from Babe Ruthless.
Brian Kelly is admittedly one of “my boys.” I have liked him since 2002. That year he was the head coach at Grand Valley State, a Division II school in Michigan. I was a junior at Valdosta State University when his Lakers beat my Blazers 31-24 in the national championship. I came away obviously upset that we lost the game, but I gained immediate admiration for Mr. Kelly. He ran my kind of offense, which is a pass heavy offense. I followed him from a distance at Central Michigan, and absolutely was a huge fan of his Cincinnati teams. I feel pretty confident that he will turn Notre Dame around. Despite the love fest for Kelly, he does not have my support on one thing. He has chosen to begin his duties in South Bend immediately, and for that, he most definitely does NOT have my support!
It really is a tricky situation when a coach leaves one team and goes to another in between the end of the regular season and the bowl game. It happens on a yearly basis with assistant coaches, but not as often with head coaches. The coach has to ask himself, “Do I stay and finish what I started?” or “Do I move on to my new job?” Kelly obviously felt the need to move on and therefore, left some very upset Bearcat players and fans behind. Several players have spoken out against him, and even some unruly fans decided to egg his house.
The bottom line is that Kelly owed the Bearcat players enough commitment to finish what he started. In three years Kelly and his staff recruited the majority of the team. He went into the homes of these players and told them and their families that Cincinnati, Ohio was the place to be. He told anyone that would listen that Cincinnati is no longer a “stepping stone.” In other words, he would not use Cincinnati to get another job. And then after the come from behind win over Pittsburgh to win the Big East title for the second consecutive year, he told his players that he was not going anywhere. Five days later, his bags were packed with a one way ticket to South Bend.
This group of Bearcats has a chance to play the all-mighty Florida Gators in the Allstate Sugar Bowl and finish the season undefeated. While the Bearcats will not win the national title, the team does at least enter a discussion amongst fans about which team is the best team in the country at season’s end the writers for (The Sports Debates had that very same discussion last night). I actually think the Bearcats had a very good shot at beating Florida before all of this happened. Now, I do not feel as strongly about that.
Kelly laid the foundation down. He oversaw the building of the house. And just as the house is nearing completion, he abandons it. Kelly heads out of Dodge just before the finished product is showcased to the world. That is what Brian Kelly has done here, and it is wrong. It is one thing to leave after the bowl game. It is quite another to leave at this point. Booooooooooooooooooo on you Coach Kelly!!! Boo on you for not being LOYAL to your team!
