SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Once again, thanks to an indefinite suspension, Michael Floyd was nowhere to be found around Notre Dame football Friday. Whether that continues for the balance of 2011 should be determined soon.
The timeline of meetings is fuzzy, but resolution on Floyd’s status via the school’s disciplinary system appears imminent. After an arrest March 20 for operating a vehicle under the influence, Floyd is in the hearing process with the Office of Residence Life, said Irish coach Brian Kelly.
“What I heard was that he would be meeting with Residential Life this week,” Kelly said after practice Friday. “And that some kind of decision relative to that meeting would be very soon after.”
Asked to clarify the “this week” parameter, Kelly demurred, claiming he had only “secondhand” information. Either way, it seems clear a verdict could arrive as early as next week.
It is Floyd’s second go-round with Residence Life for alcohol-related run-ins, after a January 2010 citation for underage drinking. The scope of possible discipline runs the gamut from a semester suspension to less grave sanctions.
Floyd, the school’s career leader in touchdown catches, has been suspended since the arrest. Kelly said Floyd had “taken definitive action” to adjust his decision-making.
“I’m not going to get into his personal life, but I think you can read between the lines,” Kelly said. “He’s already reached out to make that happen in a very positive way. So he understands he needs to be educated. And he’s started that process.”
Night on: Predictably, Notre Dame players were stoked by the news of another night game against USC — this one on their home turf. The Irish will host the Trojans on Oct. 22 in the first Notre Dame Stadium night game in 21 years.
“When we heard the news, everybody was talking about it,” linebacker Darius Fleming said. “The entire campus is talking about it. It’s going to be fun.”
Forward and back: Notre Dame and Michigan will play the first night game at Michigan Stadium on Sept. 10, and they’ll look back while doing so. Both teams will wear throwback jerseys, though all Kelly said about the Irish duds was that they hearken back to the Joe Kuharich era from 1959-62.
“I can tell you what theirs look like,” Kelly said. “They have a block ‘M’ on them, and a number, and a number on their helmet. The Adidas people at Michigan are going to be (ticked) at me.”
