Jack, Father Jenkins and Brian Kelly thanks for getting this done.
As far as the players involved in this unfortunate situation - remember the very strong privacy laws that prohibit and punish any disclosure of anything about any student.
Kelly may have known a lot more than he was publicly saying.
A degree from the University of Notre Dame means something for every football player because you actually earn it and work for it - even if you are an outstanding athlete.
At Notre Dame, STUDENT-athlete. This will repel a lot of outstanding athletes. It will attract a lot of outstanding student-athletes.
I am hopeful Brian Kelly will be at Notre Dame for a long while.
I can assure you that beyond a shadow of a doubt, BK knew exactly what was going on at every step of the process. The rumor mill in higher education is incredibly effective at disseminating information, although BK didn't need to rely on the rumor mill. I have no doubt he was being kept in the loop by those directly involved with the process. I get that, for the sake of public perception and BK's sanity, this thing was spun as a "separation of church and state" sort of affair, but there's no way that's actually the case. I was kind of surprised none of the reporters pushed him on that point, although I'm sure they like continued press access and don't want to rock the boat too much.