What makes this so hard is that we all have a fan's (or alumni's) love for ND, but Kelly has a mercenary interest (combined with whatever "love" has grown for him since coming on board four years ago). That makes it hard for me to just say, "well, a man's got a right to take care of his family." Of course he does. But I don't think there is one of us (excepting the random troll) who wouldn't have asked ourselves, if we had Kelly's talents and and opportunities, and stood in his shoes, as at least a major consideration, "How do I maximize my opportunity with respect to my career and family, and yet protect/help the University of Notre Dame (its recruiting class, its image, the current team)?"
Face it: as a general rule, college football coaches have NOT particularly embodied the gold standard of selflessness and dedication to anything other than self interest. This example makes it appear a coach can't even weigh anything OTHER THAN self interest. If Kelly had broader goals -- increase his income/incentives and those of his staff, increase his ability to produce a top program, protect the recruiting class, continue program ascendancy -- it seems clear to me that there were better ways to have done it, consistent with a love for Notre Dame. I'm not saying Kelly doesn't love the school in some ways, just that it is different than the "purer" love we all have; and that's why this circus is so hard to deal with.
As it is -- and I may well stand corrected on this, once we see how it plays out and what the actual timeline of issues and events is -- I am disappointed in Kelly and the way this has been handled.
