Notre Dame Football In the Headlines; This Time For Sexual Assault
After Notre Dame visited the new Yankee Stadium this weekend, it has found itself in the midst of another possible dark time for the school and football program. According to sources, one of Notre Dame's football players was involved in an alleged sexual assault this past fall. Elizabeth Seeberg, a St. Mary's freshman student reportedly told Notre Dame University police that a Notre Dame football player had sexually assaulted her in a campus dorm. Just weeks later, Seeberg committed suicide by overdosing on prescription pills.
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly was questioned about the accusations this week, but Kelly placed it back on Notre Dame University to deal with the matter. Kelly referred to it as "a university matter". With the death of Declan Sullivan looming in the minds of the media, this is just another nightmare in the short tenure Kelly has taken on since he took over in December.
ESPN has reported the family of Seeberg is working with Zachary Fardon (a former federal prosecutor) to investigate the incident. This is just another black eye on Notre Dame's storied program. Will an email be released on this matter as well where Notre Dame admits it "failed to protect" or was partially responsible for not taking action or properly investigating the matter? It seems like Notre Dame actually is protecting its student at this point, as the football player involved in the incident remains unnamed and on the team. With the investigation building momentum, stay tuned to see if Kelly or the University decide it is in the best interest to make a move to suspend the athlete.
My name is Christopher Fusco. I am the managing partner of Callahan & Fusco, LLC with offices in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.