[Lefty Noob]

With Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis getting so much negative publicity right now, I found this story oddly refreshing.

COMMENTARY: Weis gets it right after early fumbles - NCAA Football - Yahoo! Sports
By Ken Fowler, The Observer
November 1, 2007

(CSTV U-WIRE) SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Charlie Weis has faltered more than a few times this season.

But this week, at least, he's been a heck of a coach.

On Tuesday, Weis broke the news to Robert Hughes (and other players and reporters, separately) that Hughes' older brother, Earl, had died. Weis told Hughes to take as much time away from football as he needed.

"Something like that, how can you give him a time frame?" Weis said.

On Wednesday, Hughes was back. Weis said the freshman running back returned because of classes and to have a distraction from the grim reality for a while. Weis again insisted that Hughes could take things at his own pace, that he could try to play against Navy if he wanted to, but there was no rush.

On Thursday night, Weis was scheduled to drive Hughes to his home in Chicago to be with his family. Weis didn't want the freshman driving 90 miles, alone and facing his brother's funeral. He also wanted to spend "one-on-one time" with Hughes, something not so common on teams with more than 80 scholarship players, and sit and talk with Hughes' family.

What's more, Weis went through the athletic department's compliance office and the NCAA to arrange for one or two buses to take coaches and players close to Hughes to services for Earl on Friday.

That all might seem natural and nondescript, but that's precisely the point.

There's a reason Notre Dame alumni cling so dearly to the tradition of athletes living in normal dorms just like everyone else -- because they are just like everyone else. And when football coaches react to human situations in humane manners, that's a good thing. Too often, sports celebrities try to construct a false wall between the public and themselves; the line is simple, and it's repeated often -- "you just don't get it."

But here, there was no sign of that mentality. Weis made an analogy about a father or a mother -- what they would do. By driving to Chicago, the coach is missing time he would otherwise spend studying tape, formulating a game plan or recruiting. But it's the right thing to do.

The author of this article is 100% right - Weis has had his issues on the field this year, but this was definitely a great and classy thing to do.

[danirish]

I don't think anyone with any sense can hack on him for his person. "Hannah 7 Friends" is a wonderful organization and I think he is probably a very nice, caring man. But on the field lately...