!#@(*&^@#!^@!)(*&#&^$%*@&^%#!@(*&$.

Let's hope that this is a one-time deal for the entire team.

While this is never a good thing, at least it didn't happen during the season ala RPN.
Matt | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 11:55 am | #

Great. Our first Fulmer Cup points are on their way.
Sean Fitzgerald | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 12:08 pm | #

bummer! This is the time of year where all college football news is bad news, and you hope not to see your team on CNN/ESPN (although the increasing focus on recruiting is starting to change this).

Sorry Demetrius, but I hope they bring the hammer down on you, no matter what it costs the team.
obediah | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 12:13 pm | #

How about we wait until the full report comes out before we jump all over DJ's head and sing "cock-a-doodle-doo".
Jay | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 12:14 pm | #

Does this, if true, make Clausen a lock to start this fall?
Jake | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 12:15 pm | #

It definitely does not mean Clausen is a lock. It is premature to say something like that even with the possible elimination of one candidate.
DP | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 12:25 pm | #

Wow, that was fast. Charges were dropped because it was someone else's pot.
PJC | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 12:31 pm | #

Retract my "^%&*^_)(!*@#*(&$^@#." That's a relief. I think I can hear Charlie barking at the team all the way from here in California.

On a lighter note, Orson better put away his siren. No "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" for you today, O.
Matt | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 12:42 pm | #

Holy crap.
Thank god someone had the guts / conscience / integrity to step up and claim it. Does anyone get the feeling this will still be harped on by ND haters until the season starts (or longer)? I just hope the school doesn't do anything over the top here.
Brown | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 1:01 pm | #

It takes a lot for someone else to say the pot was mine. Not easy to take that bullet. Jones has some good friends.
Andy T | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 1:08 pm | #

Jones couldn't have owned/taken the pot because he was a ND Football player. ergo...

( sorry if my post has spelling mistakes )
JohnnyDrama | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 1:15 pm | #

he was probably going to take the bullet if he didnt step up and claim it

pot in the ashtray? was it still smoking?
fred | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 1:17 pm | #

Have DJ piss in a cup immediately. If positive for THC then say "buh bye" til Jan. '08.
Voice in the Wilderness | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 1:26 pm | #

If no one claimed the pot it is "the property" of the vehicle's owner by state law. Assuming DJ doesn't smoke and the ash tray was closed, how would DJ have known there was pot in the vehicle? The owner should step up and claim it. If he is truly a friend and realizes all that would be jeopardized for DJ he should step up.
Domer Dan | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 1:31 pm | #

The haste with which people want to convict these kids and assess harsh punishment never ceases to amaze me.

It speaks to the creepy side of college football, I think. Fans (myself included) have come to identify so closely with their teams that they start treating minor transgressions against their teams as attacks on their family.

Take some deep breaths people. It sounds like (at worst) this kid made the mistake of having a joint. Dumb, but hardly the sort of thing that should have us cursing his name.

If this were your son we're talking about, how would you want him treated?
Hal | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 1:43 pm | #

I'm trying not to judge one way or another, but this incident is going to caste serious doubts on him being picked for the QB derby, if not eliminating him altogether. These are questions that he's probably going to have to address with Charlie:

1. Are your friends a reflection of you? The company you keep can be very telling... so Charlie will really need an honest answer about whether or not this was a one time mistake.

2. What really happened? Honesty is the only way he can save face, and while charges were dropped, people know that the justice system in America runs on innocent until PROVEN guilty, and they may not have enough to prove beyond reasonable doubt... though that does not mean something fishy didn't go down.

3. Whats to say this doesn't happen mid season? Things like this could tear a team apart mid season.

I don't know everything, so I can't weigh in one way or another. But what I can say is, particularly answering questions like these as a quarterback, a position of inherent leadership and spotlight at Notre Dame... it doesn't bode well for him right now. Charlie can't be happy that he's got to take time out of his final 2 decision making to play private investigator, and figure out what Jones's fate will be.
Carl | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 1:52 pm | #

He is just giving himself some adversity for him to overcome later when he is in the Heisman running, ala Troy Smith
Wertzy | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 1:56 pm | #

I disagree that this will stay with DD too long. So he borrowed a friend's car that unknowingly had pot in it. I know when I've borrowed my friend's cars, I never check and see what all is in it. We are not responsible for the actions of our friends. At least the friend was honest enough to own up to it right away. I think that shows some character. I don't think we need to worry about DD's judgement at all. He's got a good head on his shoulders and I don't question his leadership one bit. These things just happen. I don't think it's fair to pass judgement on him and decide his entire football career based on an unfortunate circumstance. This is totally different than what happened to Kyle last fall. I say DD should get the benefit of the doubt on this one.
ND101 | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 2:01 pm | #

I think it's ridiculous to say DD is in the wrong here. Anyone who says that is completely hypocritical (or inherently paranoid). When's the last time you checked your buddies ash tray when you borrowed his car? Obviously, no one does that (and like I said, if you do you've got some problems larger than a joint in an ashtray).

If the friend owned up to it, it's a non-issue.
Domer OC | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 2:20 pm | #

Guys, we all love DJ but unfortunately it's guilt by association. He's young and he'll learn from this one. But now he'll have to rebuild his reputation. But we shouldn't crucify him yet.

Man, I do not want to be in his shoes when Charlie gets back from Cali.
Felipe | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 2:48 pm | #

I'm sticking by Demetrius on this one, and I believe he is innocent. However, at the very least, he is a freaking moron for telling the cops that he didn't know there was pot in the ashtray. Whether the ashtray was open or closed we'll never know, but I guarantee anyone would be able to smell pot in the car regardless. Anyone who's ever been around pot knows that it stays in a car like bad B.O. On routine stops, cops don't just look in ashtrays unless they have a reason...like, smelling it, for instance. Someone who is in such a delicate position as a possible starting quarterback at ND should have known better than to get in and use a car that MUST HAVE reeked of pot!
Johnny B | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 2:48 pm | #

Company he keeps? The kid is 19 years old...people at that age experiment. It reasons to say that he would have a friend or two at that age who would smoke weed. Plus, there are a few people currently on our team that partake in said illegal activity and would be seriously missed. One is a starter.
PM | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 2:48 pm | #

ND101, that's pretty funny talking about integrity and marijuana in the same breath! Ha! "Hey officer, that's my blunt, not my friends!" Wow, that kind of integrity is a prerequisite at FSU.
Felipe | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 2:50 pm | #

PM, dont even start spreading rumors or other people's business on an internet blog. Even if you think you know, that's a low blow bringing it online.
Felipe | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 2:52 pm | #

I hope and pray the University of Notre Dame powers to be do not overact like my fellow bloggers.
I have stood in front of a number of desks and took some strong verbal abuse. I suspect DJ is going to have a very personal conversation with CW.
If you check out the SI and ESPN websites and read the college football news page, it is filled with a frightening number of misdemeanors and felonies charges/committed by football players. Very sad commentary about our youth and student athletics. I see the glass half full and hope the incident is a wake-up call for DD.
Subway Alumni | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 2:54 pm | #

Subway,

Serious question: Do you think the incidence of crimes and misdemeanors is any higher for the pool of Div. 1A football players that it is for the student population in general?

I bet the percentage is just about the same.
Hal | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 3:10 pm | #

Felipe- I am not going to debate whether or not it is true or not but I merely brought it up to bring down some of the more 'self-righteous' posters on this forum.

Yes, ND is held to a higher standard and we hope our players play and act up to that standard but please remember our guys are college guys to. While we may have student athletes who typically don't get in as much trouble as maybe at some other schools, our guys do a lot of the same stuff. Underage drinking, fakes, etc. They're college kids for god's sake!
PM | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 3:15 pm | #

Felipe,

I agree with you about PM. Keep what you know or think that you know to yourself. An internet blog is not a place to make revelations or suspicions. What you see here or hear here stays here, did you ever hear that bit of loyalty. The problem I would forsee is if he did have the pot and the University doesnt do anything then why did they suspend KMac? I agree do a drug test and see where he stands. I hope that he didnt, but if he did then that is a terrible mistake on his part.
Doug | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 3:17 pm | #

So, does "!#@(*&^@#!^@!)(*&#&^$%*@&^%#!@(*&$. " count as a premature ejaculation?
dave | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 3:36 pm | #

If you know someone well enough to borrow their car, then you should know if they smoke weed. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I do know who my friends were that smoked, and if I ever needed to borrow their car, I made damn sure that there wasn't anything in it that could get me into trouble. I'm sorry, that's just common sense.

Plus, this whole scenario also begs the question, "why was the car searched in the first place?"

If it's because when the officer came to the door he smelled weed, then DJ has a lot of questions to answer, whether the pot was his or not.

And Hal, if that were me in the car, and I got pulled over with a joint, causing me to get kicked off the football team and suspended from Notre Dame, I'm pretty sure my daddy would kick my ass all the way back down the ohio and pennsylvania turnpikes into Jersey.
Joe | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 3:38 pm | #

I sense some "mightier than thou" attitude from some people. Kids make mistakes and luckily he isn't going to be punished for this one. (or so it seems) Have him take a drug test? Why? That seems excessive and unecessary.

And as far as why the car was searched... An officer doesn't need much of a reason to search a car. I have been pulled over for a tail light out and I was completely sober and the officer asked if he could search my car. That is sometimes routine.

Sh*t happens people. I know I have dodged a bullet or two in my lifetime, and let's just hope he learned from this......THE END
bleeding irish | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 4:04 pm | #

PM, now I agree with you. They are college kids and they are exposed to a lot of temptations and its the time to experiment. It's part of college. I can't rip on anyone that smokes weed or decides to drink before 21, that would be hypocritical on my part.

Again, Im sure this scared DJ enough to be more careful.
Felipe | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 4:21 pm | #

He's not in the final two anyway. Before this I wouldn't have placed him above a 2% chance anyway, based on spring practices and conversations with other football players.
Kyle | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 4:29 pm | #

Hal:
Serious question. Serious answer. No, of course not.

The issue lies with the fact that if Subway Alumni smokes pot or rapes a co-ed while affiliated with ND who cares? ND powers to be, preach and try to hold student athletes to higher standards and then make examples out of them if they don’t hold it. They have a tendency to start a knee jerk reaction and have a mentality to bring the guilty in, give him a fair trial and hang him. In the mean time, the Notre Dame bashers jump in. All the sports writers go tisk, tisk, and shake their fingers. You can’t win. ND football pays for all the other sports except basketball, it hurts the bottom time. Some of this same stuff led to Lou’s undoing. My point is to the administration, gee don’t slam dunk the guy like you did RPN for a DWI/DUI ? while he was on school break.

I hope none of this way true and I hope it dies away.

P.S. Enjoy your insight and knowledge of ND and football.
Subway Alumni | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 4:29 pm | #

Gonna have to echo Matt's original statement. Even if it does come off clean, it won't come off TOTALLY clean. I'm just worried that this guy will spend his career being "that ND quarterback with the pot." Here's to hoping I'm excessively paranoid.
rew | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 4:44 pm | #

Rew, you're excessively paranoid. However, if he ever makes it to the NFL this will be the first issue he'll face during the interview process.
Felipe | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 4:50 pm | #

Bad decision, can't say I didn't make worse ones at that age. But then again, I was a very mischievous young man, and a drunk as well. I hope his life isn't too screwed up by this and ND football doesn't get a black eye. Bummer.
indy | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 5:53 pm | #

Couple of things...

I would like to believe the following possibility is not true but who knows...how do we know the friend didn't just bite the bullet and take one for DJ. That's not completely out of the realm.

Second, I agree with whoever said he wouldnt be in the final 2 for the starters spot. I think its between Clausen and Sharpley. Never know though!
Jason | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 6:18 pm | #

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Yea, all eyes are on ND football players and all kinds of townies and ND bashers would like to see a player fall over something like this. But you guys are fans. Give the kid a break and let the chips fall where they may.
Don E. Brook | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 6:49 pm | #

Kids make mistakes, this does not mean that they do not have to pay the price for those mistakes. I guess if I was Jones and had nothing to hide I would get a hair test done(more reveling that a pee test. This would prove that that there is no history of this type of action. Anything short of this leaves a black mark on the program and is less becomming of a Notre Dame man.
irishmike | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 7:25 pm | #

I dont think that this reflects ND's program. It isnt like the whole offense or defense was involved and that there is now lawlessness in Charlieland. I understand too, that these young men are living large and having a good time with life as most all of us did or do at their age. My wonderment about the whole deal would be why take a chance when you saw what the university did to KMac. It is not a big deal for these kids to be having fun, some drink, some smoke and if we the citizens of this fine country of ours would quit being so damn paranoid about marijuana then there wouldnt be any problems. Whether DJ is in the final two or not makes no matter, I hope that this does not do anything to damage him permanently at ND. Big Papa Charlie will be having a talk with him, that is for sure, especially since DJ has put himself up as a leader of the team.
Doug | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 9:14 pm | #

Good thing he didn't have a bag of marshmallows. Indiana State Police would have handed him over of the ND Ushers...last we would have heard from him.
yago | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 11:06 pm | #

Hal,

You are probably right about REPORTED crimes. However, U sports players get into a lot more trouble because they know they will be protected. Michael Irvin never took drug tests at Miami. Deion Sanders never went to class. Lawrence Philips beatdown = wrist slap. The better they are, the more potection they get. They know it and act accordingly.

Friend-of-a-friend was an "Eraser" at tOSU. "Erasers" were dorm handlers who covered up the misdeeds of the athletic-students. Most big time sports U's have them.

A few things on the DJ deal:

1) Having a friend that tokes & drives ain't good on DJ.

2) Driving a car with a weed smell ain't good on DJ. If you can't smell weed, but a cop can, how can you be observant enough to read the D?

3) Begs the question: is DJ a "weed wacker?" Will CW require a drug test?
ThE LoSt BoY | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 11:21 pm | #

Subway,

I hear you, and you're right about the fact that athletes are higher profile representatives of their universtities and thus get held to a higher standard.

But that's a little off the center of my point, which was this: I don't think the fact that we hear about more trangressions from athletes necessarily means that athletes are (a) any more out of control than they've been in the past or (b) any more likely to get in trouble than the average student.

Just as the press's increasingly intense coverage of child abductions has created the illusion of a crisis, so does the focus on the off-the-field activities of athletes mislead us. Or that's my sense at least. I'd love to have numbers, but there's no way any of that stuff is public, given the privacy laws at most schools.

I enjoy swapping opinions with you as well, Sub. Keeps the brain active, eh?
Hal | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 11:46 pm | #

Lost,

I think we were posting about the same time. Yeah, you're right about the real bad boys, like Philips and Irvin. But I think those guys are outliers in the statistical soup that is all players.

Again, just my sense. I wish there were numbers on this. It's an interesting societal thing. There's this presumption that the adulation showered on athletes swells their heads and makes them feel as though the rules don't apply to them. This is certainly true for a subset of the athlete population. But I'm guessing that the press attention these guys get when they do something wrong skews our opinion of athletes' behavior overall.
Hal | Email | Homepage | 05.24.07 - 11:52 pm | #

DJ was most likely pulled over and then had the car searched because of two things: this is America, and DJ has the wrong skin color.

Happens all the time.

Does anyone know whether the ashtray was open prior to when the officer searched it? Possibly no smell at all, but a visible baggie.

I went through my years at ND without ever smoking a joint. The first time came a year later. On more than one occasion, though, I climbed into a car with an "odor." Never got caught and ... no reason to have ever been.

3-2
That was the final score of the game of snow football (in front of Stepan Center)in which I beat our team's starting QB. Our team pretty much sucked with him as QB. He was a huge pothead, plus 'dabbled' in other stuff. Not to worry: while he was purple-hazing us to mediocrity, lots of flak was directed towards the 'bad attitude' of another QB on the team. A black guy.

Only in America.

Go Irish
Bill H. | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 1:06 am | #

First off, how the HELL do you not notice that marijuana is in the friggin ashtray??

That sounds like a bunch of crap to me. Jones should be suspended, anyway, just for doing something this stupid. I mean, honestly, the kid was probably the frontrunner for the QB position and he does THIS??

Just plain dumb. There is a great article on ESPN.com by Jeffri Chadiha about how some athletes need to keep better control over their relationships with their friends, particularly pointing out the Vick, Tank Johnson and Pacman situations. Jones would do well to keep himself out of these type of situations from now on if he wants to remain at ND. After all, wasn't it marijuana possession that got Moss sent from FSU to Marshall? This kid needs a major reality check, dropped charges or not. And of course, Irish fans will get all kinds of crap about how their players are given special treatment, that the charges were dropped just because he was the ND quarterback, etc.

This is not what we needed.
Philip | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 7:12 am | #

Okay, I probably overreacted but still, the point is that Demetrius should have known better. I mean, it is not like he would not have known if he had a friend or five who smoked weed. But most of them, hopefully all of them, are not ND players...and certainly none of them in line to take over the most scrutinized player's position in all of CFB.

He needs to get his act together, cut bait with friends who might lead him into even worse trouble, I don't care if they are "his boys". Sometimes your friends just don't really have your best interests at heart.

But I strongly disagree with the idea that he was simply pulled over because he was black. South Bend may not be South Beach, but I just hate to hear people always saying that someone was being racially profiled if they got pulled over (ie, Marvin Lewis the other day) or something like that. Demetrius definitely needs to face the music, from, an accountability standpoint. It is a matter of trust and if the other players look on this a reason to doubt his decision making ability off the field, who is to say they won't trust him a leader on the field? Bad, bad day for DJ and the Irish.
Philip | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 7:24 am | #

It was LaPorte County not SOuth Bend. It's a little more "country" out that way.
Domer Dan | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 7:42 am | #

"DJ was most likely pulled over and then had the car searched because of two things: this is America, and DJ has the wrong skin color."

Then how do you explain why Kyle McAlarney was pulled over and arrested for the exact same thing? Last time I looked Kyle was white. Every damn time I was pulled over in college they always asked about pot and, by your logic, I have the "right" skin color. Hell, one time I ended up behind bars for six hours because my white, Jewish friend had pot in his car that he denied was his so they threw us all in the clink till he fessed up. It happens all the time to people of all hues, not just those with black skin.
Eddie | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 8:26 am | #

Are you people for real? From all things I have read, this kid is a good kid. Why are so many people throwing him under the bus for something so insignificant?

I went to ND and I have never been to a campus where more beer rolls through the dorms. Yes, pot is illegal. So is underage drinking, driving under the influence, etc. etc.

A kid gets caught with a little doober and he needs to be kicked off the team and fall at the hands of you self-riotious bastards? Give me a break. He didn't even do anything wrong. Sometimes people get arrested and when the facts come out, they drop the charges. It doesn't make them guilty of anything other than wrong place/wrong time.

Oh and by the way, for you assnuts who say he should watch who he is friends with, guess what, you have lots of friends who do things you don't know about. You have friends who smoke weed, who cheat on their wives, who drink too much, who cheat on their taxes, and everything else people do. I don't disagree that associations can encourage unhealthy behavior, but give me a f-ing break.
Michael | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 9:44 am | #

Well said, Michael, well said. I don't know what the average age of BGS readers is but in my day (college from 88-93) I was very much in the minority in that I didn't smoke pot. Just about everyone I knew, from the valedictorian of my HS class (and most of the top 10 for that matter) down to those ranked at the bottom smoked pot. I am guessing things are not that much different today.
Eddie | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 10:13 am | #

It's unfortunate that herb is illegal. I don't have a problem with people smoking a little bit now and then. I am just extremely disappointed in the JUDGEMENT that Jones used, and am bracing for the requisite "Notre Dame is no better than any other program blah blah blah" horsecrap that I am going to hear from neighbors, co-workers, sports talk radio idiots, ESPN shitheads, traitors like Bob Davie (probably), haters like Mark May (definitely), etc. And with the amount of negative publicity that pro athletes have been generating lately, I am just angry that Jones put the PROGRAM in this situation. Because drugs are illegal and their use can lead to devastating consequences, I hope Jones is completely innocent. But I feel that he is quite guilty of stupid, careless behavior that reflects upon everyone associated with Notre Dame, past and present. Being a quarterback for Notre Dame requires more than Jones is proving to have.
Voice in the Wilderness | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 10:48 am | #

Best comment in this whole argument Michael.
Long live Brady | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 10:50 am | #

Eddie,

I went to college in the late '60s. People were smoking a lot of pot back then also. ND is a Catholic school. I was raised Catholic ( but since converted to Sikh). Didn't Jesus do a lot of forgiving? Like the man on the cross next to him?
GB | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 10:55 am | #

Michael (and Bill H), I couldn't have said it better myself. As Orson might say, some of you are far too quick to take the first offramp to huffytown whenever something like this happens.
scott | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 11:06 am | #

GB,
May Jesus forgive you for renoucing your faith in Him and going over to the darkside.

Anti-Cultist
Anti-Cultist | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 11:14 am | #

Anti,

I am not comfortable with your post.

Hope you are joking.
ThE LoSt BoY | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 11:29 am | #

Comments:

1. Randy Moss to FSU not because of pot but because he tried to kill someone.

2. My Junior and Senior years at ND, students smoked pot at football games.

3. Does this qualify ND for a Fullmer Cup point?

4. It was extremely stupid for ND to suspend Kyle McAlarney. As it would be for something similar happen to DJ, especially if he makes the Final Two.

5. As I understand Northern Indiana is home to a serious hemp crop. I remember students taking off late at night to harvest such.
Peter | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 11:30 am | #

Does anyone remember this?

http://old.irishsports.com/ stori...eceiver.fff.sto

Weird thing is, he ran away and the cop actually caught him.

I'm sure glad that Smarg wasn't drinking the night of the Michigan State game last fall.
Joe Subway | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 12:07 pm | #

Like it or not people, DJ didn't have the best spring. That probably cost him one of the top two spots.

This is just the icing.

Don't be too surprised when the final two are: JC and Sharpley.

This isn't self-righteousness. This is a reality check.
JackBourassa | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 1:22 pm | #

Your discomfort is telling, Lost Boy.
Anti-Cultist | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 1:35 pm | #

Innocent or not, the words "marijuana" "arrested" "Notre Dame" and "Quarterback" do not go together and will leave a black mark on DD and the university because most people do not take the time to hear the words "dismissed" and "not his."
Erik '04 | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 1:40 pm | #

OK, I've never posted on here before, but am I the only one that is disappointed in all the rationalizations from ND "fans" thorough this entire thread that DJ should not be criticized for this or risk being labeled self righteous?

Earth to Apologists: this is a 3rd stringer whose proven positively nothing in the biggest competition of his life. If he were smart, he would have been using whatever speed he has to run away from friends that smoked up as if they had the plague from 28 Days Later. He certainly wouldn't have borrowed a car for a long trip from someone like his friend. I question THAT read more then I do his interception in the BG game. If you choose to believe it wasn't his, fine. If you choose to believe he had no way of knowing his friend left pot in his car, I can't argue, but there is no way any sane ND fan can say after an incident like this that no criticisms of this kid are allowed.

I'll tell you what bothers me, the same partisans yamming on about hypocracy or self righteousness on the part of other posters, are ironically the same partisans who would jump all over OSU or Miami or FSU if the same EXACT story came out about one of their players. When ND fans start rationalizing about how everybody smokes pot in college and WE ARE THE HYPOCRITES. I don't care if every single person in all their classes smokes pot, you don't hang out with them. Why? Because if you do, it ends up on SportCenter and embarrasses a lot of good people giving you a free education. So life isn't fair, cry me a river.

Some posters need to get a grip, ND gets a ton of frankly unwarranted perks, however we also have to be held to an unwarranted higher standard. We should be THANKFUL, not complaining. That's life, if you assume you can spin this as nothing more then wrong place-wrong time, as the saying goes you literally make an ass of u and me. If backups can't comprehend that you are judged by the company you keep, they have no business representing ND football. If you can't grasp that, go root for FSU, you won't be missed.

Thank you for letting me get that off my chest.
Rob | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 2:51 pm | #

Rob-
Excellent post. I hope you will contribute here from now on.
Voice
Voice in the Wilderness | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 3:48 pm | #

I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but now, I do not think that Coach Weis will pick DD in the top two, and I also don't think he will be suspended. That's just what I think.
Champ | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 4:43 pm | #

I cannot wait for the season to start. If we can keep Clausen away from the wacky tabacky we should be okay...
Fighting Binny | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 5:31 pm | #

I got pulled over in LaPorte county a few months back... got charged with speeding though. It would be interesting to hear why they searched his car, they don't usually do it unless they have a reason.

I think the rationale behind the distancing of some fans from Jones is that it puts a black mark on Notre Dame. We have always prided ourselves as being better than other schools in terms of behavior- we're no Miami or FSU or Ohio University. So when we can't hush the news (in this case), we try and distance ourselves from it. As we've seen, its not always the best policy, especially when we don't know the full story.

In terms of the offense, he was caught with an illegal substance. Who cares if it SHOULD be legalized or not, it is completely irrelevant to this conversation. There is a reason why it was only a misdemeanor charge at the time.

Should Jones be tested? I think this action warrants a drug test, but I think he should voluntarily submit to it. It could really help to clear his name.

Overall, I think this is a case of bad reporting by WSBT. They reported on a case before they knew all the facts, and they tarnished a man's reputation in doing so. I doubt it will be permanently tarnished, and I also doubt it will have much play in the quarterback rankings. He really hasn't done anything wrong, just trusted the wrong friend. And who hasn't?
Keenan | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 5:58 pm | #

May Jesus forgive you for renoucing your faith in Him and going over to the darkside.

Anti-Cultist

Anti

Sikhs are not a cult. It is a religion that has the 5th largest amount of members recognized by the UN. I did not know God favored any religion. I have just as much respect for the Catholic, Protesant, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, etc. as my own religion. Having compassion and forgiveness is universal to all religions.
GB | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 6:05 pm | #

Rob, that was a well-written and impassioned comment, albeit one that I strongly disagree with.

You write:

"If he were smart, he would have been using whatever speed he has to run away from friends that smoked up as if they had the plague from 28 Days Later. He certainly wouldn't have borrowed a car for a long trip from someone like his friend."

Are you privy to insider information that firmly establishes that he knew there was dope in the ashtray, or that he knew his friend was a pot smoker before he borrowed the car? And even if he was aware that his friend smoked dope, the assertion that he should've simply walked away from the situation strikes me as something that's much easier to do when you're like the overwhelming majority of ND students (i.e., from a cushy middle class background with a car of your own, and/or parents who can afford to buy you a round-trip air ticket home without blinking). Which is certainly not the case for DJ. I'm not saying this should be an excuse for DJ (or anyone else who does something stupid and comes from a similar background)-- all I'm saying is that I bet many of those here who are clucking their tongues the loudest and making unctuous claims about DJ's poor choices have never had to think very hard about how they're gonna get home for the weekend.

You also say:

"When ND fans start rationalizing about how everybody smokes pot in college and WE ARE THE HYPOCRITES. I don't care if every single person in all their classes smokes pot, you don't hang out with them. Why? Because if you do, it ends up on SportCenter and embarrasses a lot of good people giving you a free education. So life isn't fair, cry me a river."

Does this also apply to underage drinking? If so, then you'd better be prepared to renounce being a ND football fan to be consistent w/your high moral standards-- I'd bet my life that 95% of the current team (and every ND team since Knute was roaming the sidelines) is guilty of this illegal activity.
Scott | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 6:19 pm | #

Why do I always get this bad feeling about DJ?

He just brings so much division within NDNation. You get people who will defend him, others who will be offended.

He talks this tough game and then can't back it up on the field.

If he doesn't make the top 2 it will be said it was because he was black, blah, blah, blah.

He's a cancer on the team. He kind of reminds me of Tyrone Willingham that way.

Jimmy Clausen ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
JackBourassa | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 7:27 pm | #

Good post Scott.

Jack "he brings so much division within NDNation." Screw NDNation. Have you ever met DD? For that matter, have you ever met any of the current players or spent time with them? Sure these kids are in the limelight and consequently held to a higher standard than most. But give me a break. These are all 18 to 22 year old young men and face the same real life issues that every other college age kid faces. This country has elected more than one president that has admitted to smoking weed and yet we are not lacking volunteers to execute DD, who is a 19 year old college student. It makes no sense.

If this is how "NDNation" reacts when a kid gets in trouble, whether by his own stupidity or not, then thank God that NDNation has not been privy to the personal lives and activities of the ND football players. Much more goes on with these kids, your kids, and every other football program around the country than you will ever know. And thank God again that there are parents, administrators and coaches like Charlie Weis (and his predecessors for that matter) around the country that handle these matters in-house, effectively, fairly and compassionately.

I don’t mean to single you out Jack but yours prompted me to write. Open the book on my past and the past of most of the posters on this site and I'll bet you find worse conduct for 90% of us. Does that mean that we should be excommunicated from ND Nation, lose our jobs, forfeit our positions in society? That one's not rhetorical.
Don E. Brook | Email | Homepage | 05.25.07 - 8:42 pm | #

You have to wonder what a scholar athlete was doing borrowing Mario Manningham's car. Please let this mean ND is going to start Jimmah on September 15.
Korea Blue | Email | Homepage | 05.26.07 - 3:49 am | #

Scott, I think Rob was trying to say in terms of us being hypocrites not in just drug use. I am sure many are willing to admit to jump on the "Reggie-bashing bandwagon" and I am sure a lot of USC fans will defend Reggie in saying he didn't take money from an agent and didn't have the call with that super recruit (can't recall his name right now). Yet, some Irish fans can bash on Reggie Bush all day and night.
But, now that there is bad wrap on a fellow Irish, DJ, there comes fans (who may have easily joined the bandwagon to bash on rival team members misdoings) who will bend over backwards in finding ways to have see the light in the situation...like the USC fans defending Bush, or maybe even LSU fans defending Ryan Perrilloux.
It's late, maybe I am not making any sense....
Mikey_G | Email | Homepage | 05.26.07 - 7:03 am | #

The pot discussion is just a typical wedge social issue meant to divide us.

It's easy to grin
when your ships coming in
and you've got the stock market beat.

But the man who's worthwhile
is the man who can smile
when his pants
are too tight in the seat.

Good luck dealing with the tight pants this summer DD.
indy | Email | Homepage | 05.26.07 - 11:48 am | #

Indy, that was awesome.
"It looks good on YOU though..."
Brown | Email | Homepage | 05.26.07 - 1:58 pm | #

How 'bout a Fresca Indy?
Don E. Brook | Email | Homepage | 05.26.07 - 2:00 pm | #

OK Scott, I'll respond;

"Are you privy to insider information that firmly establishes that he knew there was dope in the ashtray, or that he knew his friend was a pot smoker before he borrowed the car?"

If you read just a few lines down from that you will see that I said "If you choose to believe it wasn't his, fine. If you choose to believe he had no way of knowing his friend left pot in his car, I can't argue, but there is no way any sane ND fan can say after an incident like this that no criticisms of this kid are allowed."

Here's where I think we get to the motivations behind our disagreement; "And even if he was aware that his friend smoked dope, the assertion that he should've simply walked away from the situation strikes me as something that's much easier to do when you're like the overwhelming majority of ND students"

Yes, I am unequivocally saying the DJ should simply walk away from friends that smoke pot, why is that so difficult to accept? When you are in college you are tripping over people to make friends with, I can't imagine how easy it must be to make friends if you are an ND football player. Its not acceptable response to say he's desperate to find compatriots therefore he's ok run with a questionable crowd, he has a reputation to uphold not only for his team, but his own competitiveness. This decision speaks to poor judgment on his part.

"from a cushy middle class background with a car of your own, and/or parents who can afford to buy you a round-trip air ticket home without blinking). Which is certainly not the case for DJ. I'm not saying this should be an excuse for DJ"

I'm sorry, but making excuses for him is PRECISELY what you are doing, and what is really bad about it is that you are implying that anyone who disagrees is an elitist, which is the worst kind of passive aggressive racism. Most blacks from poor backgrounds at ND have been perfectly capable of avoiding trouble, to suggest otherwise is to demean their potential. You know who can give him a ride without blinking if the many many ND student from Chicago are unwilling to hang out with him? The South Shore railroad, 10 bucks. Yes, my tongue will cluck loudly on how lame that excuse is all day, because that dog won't hunt.

I never suggested underage drinking was as serious as pot because I don't believe so, a DUI on the other hand would be, and if he'd been pulled over for that I think he should be done like Powers Neal, and I say that knowing that losing him really hurt the teams red zone running. There are more important things that partisan rationalizing, sometimes you just have to accept your sides warts for the greater good.
Rob | Email | Homepage | 05.26.07 - 3:20 pm | #

Rob,

If one needs to a ride home to see his mother and is offered a ride by someone who has committed a crime why should they not take it?

It's a friggin car ride!

I'd borrow their car in a minute.

And I would say underage drinking in college is a more hazardous issue than smoking pot. No one ever died from smoking marijuana, however you might get a headache if you smoke too much.
Walterthump | Email | Homepage | 05.26.07 - 5:23 pm | #

I think most of us are missing the point. Its not a question of smoking pot is right or wrong. It is that a student has put himself in a place that has put the football program/ ND in a bad light. As a rep. for the program and the school this should not be tollerated. And not just at ND, but any college for that matter. I am not sure what the rules state on something like this even though the charges were dropped. But Weis needs to spell it out that negitive press about the program or about Notre Dame(be it big or small) will not be allowed regardless of who you are.
irishmike | Email | Homepage | 05.26.07 - 6:32 pm | #

But Weis needs to spell it out that negitive press about the program or about Notre Dame(be it big or small) will not be allowed regardless of who you are.

Mike

I respectfully disagree. We do not know all the facts of this case. People are crucifying DD without knowing all the facts. Until we do (and we will probably never know), then we should just let it be. I have been in cars that have had pot in the ashtrays and did not know it was there . I have also been in cars that had pot in the ashtray and it reeked. Guilt by association just doesn't cut it.
GB | Email | Homepage | 05.26.07 - 8:42 pm | #

GB, Hang in there. I'll bet that Anti still thinks we win games because the nuns are saying their rosaries.
It's a big and muti faceted world.

jack
Jack | Email | Homepage | 05.26.07 - 8:46 pm | #

Rob said--
"I never suggested underage drinking was as serious as pot because I don't believe so."

I gotta disagree with you, Rob. Underage drinking kills about a half dozen kids a year, and that's NOT counting the ones who get killed or injured doing something stupid because they're drunk.

I live in a college town, and every couple years some frat gets in trouble when some kid shows up comatose at the local ER after doing shots or beer bongs. There have been two alcohol deaths in my town in the last decade--but no pot casualties I can recall.

I don't mean to get all permissive, but I think it's just a statistical fact that underage drinking is much, much more dangerous than pot.

Paul
Paul | Email | Homepage | 05.26.07 - 9:37 pm | #

Forgot to say--

As for DJ, I'm willing to trust Charlie to do the right thing, whatever that might be. Isn't that why we like the guy?
Paul | Email | Homepage | 05.26.07 - 9:41 pm | #

Jack;

When I say a rosary on Saturdays in the Fall, I always ask for the players to do their best and for no injuries on either team.

When Notre Dame wins, that's good too.

I imagine the nuns are doing the same, only more reverently.
Joe Subway | Email | Homepage | 05.27.07 - 7:07 am | #

Joe

It never hurts to pray.
GB | Email | Homepage | 05.27.07 - 3:54 pm | #

smoke it up sparky!!!
tom | Email | Homepage | 05.27.07 - 9:59 pm | #

The discourse by some of you on this subject is doing more to injure the good name and reputation of ND than anything that DD has done. No wonder much of the sporting world believes that we are a bunch of pompous, elitist pr*cks, holding ourselves out to be true Christians yet willing to cast judgement on others as though we are Jesus Christ himself.
Beat that Dead Horse | Email | Homepage | 05.27.07 - 10:42 pm | #

I am not casting judgement on DJ. I do not think any less of him than I did before this hit the national news. I think he would be a great fit at QB this year.
What I am trying to say is that he, as a representative of Notre Dame, should have some type of punshment handed down. It has been said through out this thread that the same thing has happen to others or some thing similair to the fact. The only difference is that they do not have a scholarship with Notre Dame. Thats what makes this case different.
This past week LSU suspended a QB for tring to use his brothers ID to enter a casino. Is this a huge crime, no I am sure most kids have played cards at the college dorms across the country. This young man made a mistake and now is paying the price( and this punishment was done before he even went to court). I believe LSU took the right steps because this young mans actions put him in a place that does not repersents LSU.
At no time have I stated what the punshment should be, I did state that it is up to Weis what should be done.
I guess if holding this opinion makes me a elitist pr*cks, then so be it. I think that we are all responsible for our actions and choices in life and how it afects the others around us. To many times we brush way our action by justifying that others also do it and they are getting away with it so it must be OK. I geuss if you want ND to be no better than anyother college out there, then you have made your case. But I am sure many others out there do hold Notre Dame students and its employees to a higher standard. Thats what make ND different and why I follow it.
irishmike | Email | Homepage | 05.28.07 - 10:18 am | #

Well-said Mike. As the son of a former alum, who was visiting other alums fora wedding this weekend, I can only imagine their reaction. I feel it is only right to say that the kid has put himself and the university in a bad position, one that I did not think ND would have to face.

I mean, honestly, you're telling me he does not know if a friend smokes? C'mon now, if he knows the guys well enough to borrow the car, then he would have to know or at least mentally entertain the possibility that there was some pot in the car, somewhere. I honestly think he should be suspended. Maybe just one game, but it needs to be reinforced that doing that kind of stuff is not what ND stands for, and their fans should not stand for it, or just try to wave it off.

I know that many of you have said that many people on campus smoked while you were at ND, and even claim that the starting QB at ND smoked too. Well, the difference between those situations and this one is that now ND is seen every single Saturday, almost, and so it is the most (over?)exposed program in the country with their players becoming lightning rods because of that exposure (Brady Quinn, anyone?).

DJ needs to have it knocked into his head before the summer arrives, that his type of behavior has cost him. And the biggest way to ensure he gets that message is to take away some of his playing time. As some of the NFL brass have finally started to notice, the only kind of punishment that sticks with a player is one in which the player loses his chance to play.

That being said, if Jones is ont suspended, I would like to hear that Charlie has done SOMETHING that makes Jones remember that he is a continual representative of the Irish football program and the school itself. If Irish fans want to continue to say that we are differnt, that we hold our team to higher standard than the FSUs, NEBs, MIAs, and the OSUs of the world, then the iniversity and its repserntatives (athletes, or not) need to show that they hold themselves to a higher standard, as well.
Philip | Email | Homepage | 05.29.07 - 7:48 am | #

I don't think DJ will be in the top 2, so reduced playing time won't work.

Here is what I want to know:

1) Did DJ know his 'bud' was a weed wacker?

2) Is DJ a weed wacker?

3) Can CW have some whiz tests done?

4) Does this issue make DJ's departure that much more certain if he isn't in the top 2?

5) Was the stoner's car a super-expensive car that ordinary students can't sniff?

If your 'bud' is a stoner, there is a risk that contraband is in his ride. If you drive a fancy stoner's car, you need to make sure you "ain't doin' nothin'" to get pulled over. If DJ was in a fancy car, boomin' and zoomin', he may have gotten busted for no reason. Would like some detail before recommending corrective / punitive action.

Personally, I think DJ X-fers after JC and ES are the top 2.
ThE LoSt BoY | Email | Homepage | 05.29.07 - 11:55 am | #

There are a lot of misconceptions demonstrated in this thread with which I take issue, but I feel two things must be mentioned that some people don't seem to understand:

1) when you are a college student and you need to borrow a car, you take ANY CAR FROM ANYBODY who is willing to lend it to you (because most don't like letting others use their cars) ... especially if it is for a 180+ mile trip to chicago and back.

2) whoever this friend is showed a lot of generosity and trust to let Demetrius borrow his car for the trip, and then showed even more loyalty and integrity to take responsibility for the pot in court -- you don't just distance yourself from quality friends like these because they smoke pot, even if they are bone-headed enough to forget about the roaches in the ashtray
cuso | Email | Homepage | 05.29.07 - 4:56 pm | #

I christen thee, the Flying Wasp!

Follow up to Lost Boys #1, "Did DJ know his 'bud' was a weed wacker?"

I have a feeling that is something we will never know, and we need more information before anyone can bash DD.

Also, to say nobody has ever died of pot is plain stupid, although this IS off-topic.
Jon | Email | Homepage | 05.30.07 - 12:06 am | #