Less than a week after Brian Kelly left Cincinnati for Notre Dame, the Bearcats hired Butch Jones. Like Kelly, Jones was previously the coach at Central Michigan before joining Cincinnati.
The similarities don’t stop there. Jones was under contract with one school that he coached all year. Now he won’t be coaching them for the bowl game.
All week the word out of Bearcat camp was that they were upset with Kelly. It wasn’t because he took the job supposedly, but because he just abandoned the team and the fans. His honesty was in question.
Of course, Bearcat fans were also upset with Notre Dame for wanting him to start right away and not letting him finish at Cincinnati.
You would think that if the school really felt that what Kelly did was wrong, they wouldn’t do the same thing to Central Michigan less than a week later. The most hypocritical part is that this is the second time they have done this to CMU in three years.
All the fans that were complaining last week don’t seem to care at all for CMU fans. They can say all they want it was about honesty and all that garbage. Let me tell you, Charlie Weis was honest but he didn’t win. If Kelly was honest and lost nobody would care about the honesty thing then.
Now I am affected by this whole thing in more ways than one. I am a lifelong Notre Dame fan and a CMU Alum. I can see it from both sides. The difference between me and Cincinnati fans is that I don’t have any bad feelings with Kelly or Jones. In fact, I was happy to see Kelly do well at Cincinnati.
I hope Jones is too even though Bearcat fans don’t deserve it. I appreciate the work they did at my Alma Mater and am not going to fault them for doing exactly the same thing I would do.
Part of me hopes Florida just crushes Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl. That is what Bearcat fans deserve at this point. However, I would hate to see the work Kelly put in just go down in flames. I have too much respect for him.
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You say what you want about UC taking two head coaches in a row from CMU but if Notre Dame was in the same position as UC they and evrey other school in America would do the same thing. Hypocrites I believe is the term you used: Well if we are hypocrites what exactly are you. It is easy when their is no controversey with the departing coach, to sit on your high horse and accuse others as being wrong for the way they feel. If Notre Dame had to go through the situation that we have gone through with coach Kelly what do you think Notre Dame’s reaction would be? (Obviously a rhetorical question because I doubt a true answer would ever come of the question) Also you may want to do a little more research before you make comments that are not factual. UC’s camp made comments about Kelly being dishonest, not because he was not going to coach the bowl game but because of the way he handled the situation with his players. Before the game against Pitt he told his players that he and his wife loved Cincinnati and implied that he was not going to leave. Knowing the interest and intent he had on taking the Notre Dame job why would he even hint at the idea of staying much less say it. That is why UC is mad. Next time a little more fact finding before the hands hit the keyboard might be in order. P.S. I wish Coach Kelly the best and myself along with most of the Bearcat faithful are thankful for the time he put into the program in order to lift it to its current position. Final thought: I hope we get to play each other very soon because there is nothing like putting your money where your mouth is.
Thank You Coach Kelly,
Bearcat