Catholic Caucus: 2nd Notre Dame Football death this year

CNN, Cincinnati Enquirer, Yahoo | October 28, 2010

[topher]

In April, 6' 8" football recuit Matt James fell off a 5th story balcony in Florida. He was scheduled to attend Notre Dame this fall. Later blood alcohol tests found him to have blood alcohol levels twice the legal limit.

On October 26, 2010, student manager for the football team died when the tower he was on fell over. The conditions were unsafe for the student to be on the platform -- the platform was unsafe for winds over 25 mph. Winds were gusting to 50+ mph.

This was the tragedy of Delcan Sullivan.

It seems odd that there have two deaths -- both involving falls -- to occur involving students associated with the Notre Dame football team.

A superstitious person might say that Notre Dame is now cursed on account of the honors bestowed upon President Obama in May 2009. However, both deaths have reasonable explanations: one student was drunk, and the other student was on a platform that was unsafe given the weather conditions.

It is certainly an odd coincidence that Notre Dame should lose a potential student (Matt James, who had comitted to attend Notre Dame), and a student manager so terribly in the same year.

[topher]

There are a number of different articles on both of these deaths.

If I were the president of Notre Dame, I would make my peace with God, and free the ND 88.

I just pray and hope there are no more deaths/tragedies associated with Notre Dame football this year.

[the invisib1e hand]

wow. kinda like the “child-star” curse.

[jpl]

The whole Notre Dame holier-than-thou, we're blessed by God and so special we deserve to have every game on network TV, aura and mystique rubbish is so yesterday it's a joke.

If it weren't for all the old "subway alumni" they couldn't even get on ESPN 3. There hasn't been anything special about Notre Dame football for years.

[SeaHawkFan]

Open up the checkbook. It’s going to be a big number.

[topher]

Links on these stories:

Delcan Sullivan:

'I guess I've lived long enough': Final Tweet of student filming university football practice before camera tower collapsed

Student dies in video tower collapse

Declan Sullivan, Student Manager, Killed as Notre Dame Video Tower Collapses

And there are others...

Matt James:

Irish recruit, 17, dies after fall in Florida

Matt James, top Irish signee, dead after spring break balcony fall (Updated)

Report: Notre Dame football recruit Matt James was legally drunk when he died

Google searches (Delcan Sullivan): +"delcan sullivan" +"notre dame"

and Google seach for Matt James: +"Matt James" +"notre dame" +"panama city"

[topher]

There is a saying that is attributed to Albert Schweitzer:

When God does not what His way known, He uses coincidence...

I could never verify that, but I believe that to be true.

I find deaths in a football program to be unusual for students.

To have two deaths in one year, in very unusual...

[nascarnation]

You let Obama in, you reap the whirlwind.

[Mobties]

The bad karma continues. Time to rescind the degree given to Obama and to beg for God’s for mercy for accomodating abortionists and the politicians that enable them.

[Babalu]

So you have a stone-drunk student fall over a balcony and kill himself, and an idiot on a tower he had no business being on in inclement weather and killing himself too. I don’t find it odd at all when nincompoops do stupid things and bad things happen to them. Notre Dame is not exempt from stupidity, and God has nothing to do with it.

[mlizzy]

So very sad. My niece is a freshman at ND, and she graduated from the same high school as Declan and his sister, who is also at ND.

He had no business being on that lift in that wind. There's going to be one huge lawsuit coming up, and rightly so.

[Colonel Kangaroo]

The kid that fell off the tower was no idiot. The coach told him to get up there. I wish he had refused, but it’s hard for a teenager to refuse such an authority figure.

[topher]

There is another strange event that happened recently at Notre Dame: The fire in the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Quite a few years ago, there was a fire at the Church in St Marys, Kansas. The Society of Pius X had taken over the Church, which had been turned over to Indians [native Americans]. The Jesuits had given the Church to the Indians.

The Society of Pius X blamed the Jesuits and the Pagan Practices at the Church for the fire.

The Jesuits blamed the Society of Pius X, claiming they were doing things that God did not approve (at least a Jesuit priest who then pastor of St Rita's in Dallas).

The consistent thing both the Jesuits and Society of Pius X said was that God used fire for purification.

Was that what happened at Notre Dame for the Grotto?

I don't know.

[topher]

I agree 100% with what you said.

Sometimes God will protect us when we do stupid things. God might have prevented both deaths -- if God chose to. Apparently, He did not intervene.

I knew someone in the 1970's that had an premonition about getting on board a jet. That jet crashed and killed everyone [as I recall]. He did not why he had the premonition.

Also, for the invitation of Obama to Notre Dame, there were 600,000 prayers offered up for the President of Notre Dame to change his mind.

It is possible that God uses events to soften hardened hearts. It is clear by the going through with the honorary degree to Obama, despite objection by about 100 Bishops, Archbishops, and Cardinals, that the leadership of Notre Dame University were defying the Magisterium of the Church.

[topher]

I am concerned that God is trying to soften hardened hearts at Notre Dame University? The three events (fire and two deaths) are scary.

The fire in the Grotto of Lourdes.

Two people die in falls that are involved with the football program.

I hope this is the end of it.

If I was in the administration at Notre Dame, I would get down on my knees and pray. And reflect on whether or not my heart is hardened to God.

Father John Jenkins, CSC, are you listening?

[reaganator]

This is one of the leading universities in the nation.

Am I to believe there was no one of substantial reason and intelligence around this young man that would have stopped him from going 50 feet up in a scissor lift on a day the wind was gusting 50+ MPH?

AMAZING! That should be the story.

[topher]

Football is so important that there is a line of thought that practice and filming must go on -- despite the weather conditions...

But then the flap about the honor for Obama was that Obama did not have regard for the sanctity of human life.

I guess the University is still part of the Culture of Death -- football is more important than the health/well being/life of one of its students...

[who knows what evil?]

Football uber alles...

[reaganator]

I have watched numerous news accounts of this incident. I have also seen many people giving lamenting addresses on how much of a tragedy this is.

Never once did any one mention HOW with so many people around could someones college age son be permitted to go 50 feet up in a scissor lift when winds were gusting 50+ MPH.

We do not do this on construction sites.

[topher]

The student thought it would be fun that day.

The UK newspaper story talks about this -- how the student thought he would get a rush out of the high winds.

There is a definitely a problem with the leadership of Notre Dame to allow this to happen.

And many Catholics are furious about the honor given to Obama [by Notre Dame], as well...

[topher]

Article perhaps of interest:

Notre Dame's Kelly must go

Article points out that this negligence to the point that Coach Brian Kelly should be fired before the Tulsa game... And that he be fired before Notre Dame settles with the family of Declan Sullivan...

Maybe any damages paid to the Declan Sullivan family could be paid from Brian Kelly's salary.

Coaches at college football programs get big bucks...