If BK threatened someone with their job (which I doubt seriously) that would be grounds for termination. Other than that he is the Head Football Coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Not an engineer or the head of the video department. There is someone directly at blame that knew the conditions and the safety spec. on the machinery being used. I hope that is not BK, he has a little more to worry about, and that is why he hires assistants to take care of other areas. Someone made a huge mistake, but I can see no way it will fall back on BK himself.
By Kelly's own admission, he has told guys to get down from the lifts because there was lighting in the area, so he has the awareness and cognition of the people filming. he is not so consumed with practice that he doesnt notice the 40 foot tall lifts right next to the practice field. he also stated that safety is first and foremost in everything they do regarding practice. if he says quit filming, thats the final word. he is the head coach.
....but how could this be?? geez, Kelly is not a meteorologist...how does he know lightning might be dangerous to someone 40 feet in the air on a metal object?? EXACTLY! COMMON SENSE!...enough with the garbage like "well, Kelly is not an engineer, how is he supposed to know it was dangerous?"
just like its common sense to everyone and their brother that during a two day wind storm, you dont want anyone up in those lifts. even if he didnt specifically send them up in the lifts, he had the reasonable responsibility to say "guys, you have to get down, its ridiculously windy. we are not filming today."
what was the mistake? conducting practice, seeing those lifts raised next to the field with their filmers in them in excessive winds, and not having the intellligence to order them to come down.
if someone wants to argue that Kelly didnt notice the lifts next to the field....go ahead.
if someone wants to argue that Kelly didnt know that such excessive winds might be dangerous to somone sitting up in a tall skinny scissor lift, go ahead......but know by doing so, you are indicting him as being awfully dense.
i understand that it sucks to admit that the guy everyone has put so much emotional energy into being the savior of the program made such a terrible error in judgement.
was he the ONLY one involved in the whole process? doubtful. but, he has the final word.