Posted on 04/02/2010 9:24:59 PM PDT by Cheap_Hessian
Offensive lineman Matt James, one of the top prospects in new Notre Dame coach Brain Kelly's first recruiting class, died Friday in Panama City, Fla., after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony, according to WKRC-TV in Cincinnati and the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcsports.msnbc.com ...
God bless his soul and comfort his family and friends. What a tragedy. Not even yet 18, with the world ahead of him.
College Football PING?
He was one top recruits at his position in the entire country.
Did the railing break?
Reason I ask is that I have inside information that some of the sub-contractors who put in those balcony railings didn’t always anchor them in properly.
Prayers for the boy and his family.
Incline, O Lord,
Thine ear to our prayers,
in which we humbly beseech Thy mercy,
that Thou wouldst place the soul of Thy servant, Matt James,
which Thou hast caused to depart from this world,
into the region of peace and light;
and unite in the fellowship of Thy Saints.
Through Christ our Lord,
Amen.
I was going to get all high and mighty about the recklessness of Spring Break, but then it all comes back to me...
March 1976, Daytona Beach. A group of undergraduates from the University of Wisconsin-Madison rent a motor-home and drive to Daytona for Spring Break, consuming vast quantities of alcohol. During said activity, a classmate and I approach the hotel where some some UW coeds are known to be staying/partying, from the beach side, at night. Seeing a 25 foot high cyclone fence between us and the closest entrance to the hotel, we climb the fence, fully inebriated, and make it over successfully, then down to the ground and up to the party. Leaving the hotel the next day and heading to the beach in broad daylight, we notice that the fence continued about 12 feet further and we could have simply walked around it rather than climbed over it. Very stupid risk taking that happened to work out favorably.
So I will not get high and mighty about this - could have been me, but without the press.
I live near two land grant universities. One of them has rather frequently experienced student injuries, some quite serious, due to falls from dorm/frat house balconies or upper floor windows, almost certainly consequences of excessive consumption of alcohol.
I have not seen information regarding the railing yet, but the updated story says the police taped off a section on the 5th floor.
Panama City, Spring Break? Alcohol runs a foot deep in the streets...
Yeah, it seems to happen more then one would think. It’s too sad.
Damn and with physics 101 he would have learned about gravity.
Why would they think that the son/daughter they raised from birth with their entire future ahead and all the love that had been given them is worth them getting sh#tfaced and thinking you're cool for letting them do this , those parents are sadly mistaken.
It's not cool to let your kids get sh#tfaced. It's stupid to let your girls go somewhere unsupervised for a weekend or week with thousands of drunk guys. It's stupid to let a bunch of testosterone charged drunk teenaged boys get together and dare each other to do stupid cr#p.
Just a sad case all around. wow.... Notre Dame , full ride and now just a sad memory.
A great kid from a great family and a great high school (Cincinnati St. X). Tragedy.
RIP.
This kid was so highly recruited that he was was worth two football scholarships. Brian Kelley gave his best friend a full ride scholarship to ND in order to get this kid to commit. He switched from “leaning Ohio State” to “committing to ND” the next day.
So sad. I think netting should go over condo and hotel balconies during Spring Break.
I agree with you
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