NOTRE DAME GETS THEIR TWEAK ON
Every now and then Notre Dame’s administration does something so absolutely bitchwhittled it boggles the mind and forces us to do things like make up completely fake words like “bitchwhittled” to capture just how stupid, misguided, and heavy-handed said thing is.
This? Astonishingly bitchwhittled. The litmus test for something being bitchwhittled is imagining Betty White, and then imagining Betty White seeing the event/affair/concept in question, and then imagining if she would discharge bullets into said thing.
For the record, Betty White thinks this thing is utterly bitchwhittled.

Big ups to fate for making us defend something a Clausen didn’t even clearly do, though it’s probably a good guess he’s drinking beer there, which underage college students do frequently. Though, it should be noted, they usually don’t have a special garment for beer drinking, though that is kind of a cool idea. “Beersworthy! Fetch me my drinking jacket!”
(HT: Deadspin, which is kind of like shouting out the water company for your last glass of H2O, but there we are.)









1
NewAZTiger says:
ESS EEE SEE SPEED!!!!!!!!
August 5th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
2
The Song of Hiawatha Francisco says:
Clausen, Smith and Aldridge should be disciplined. Not for drinking, but for being so stupid as to allow themselves to be photographed doing it (and posing no less). And also for what they’re wearing. Mainly for what they’re wearing. (Yeah, yeah, those satin jackets were their “uniform” for the drinking Olympics or whatever the fuck they’re doing, but still.)
And the student or students who took the pictures and leaked them should be beaten with a sack of doorknobs.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
3
NewAZTiger says:
OK, so let me get this straight…
The Catholics that parade on the football field as FIGHTING IRISH are investigating the QB for alcohol use?!??
Are they investigating because it’s only use, and not abuse? After all, Alcohol Abuse is clearly required to uphold the stereotype of Ornery Irish Catholics.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
4
Domer Guy says:
TSHF:
I think you nailed it with the second part of your post. The problem isn’t with these guys getting their picture taken, it’s with their stupid friends leaking them.
But hey, at least it wasn’t blow…
August 5th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
5
Gen. Stoopnagle says:
Matthew Stafford thinks this is bullshit.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
6
blon57 says:
I hope Clausen is smarter than he actually appears in all his pr staged events (HOF limo ride, etc.) and allowing himself to be photographed drinking when he has been in trouble before.
I’ve always thought that basically players had to be intelligent; the game is complex, strategic and you need to be able to think and react quickly and problem solve. Maybe some hide that intelligence….or maybe I have just deluded myself all these years.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
7
The Contrarian says:
Heck, Notre Dame kicks out male students for being in a female student’s room past midnight (with “room” being a euphemism for “room” in this case) for chrissakes. Being photographed within 6 feet of a beer should get Clausen suspended for at least 18 months.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
8
domer.mq says:
You should really give a shoutout to TheBidLead.com, as they’re the ones that posted the photos that then “inspired” Brian Hamilton of the Chicago Tribune to manufacture a news story out of it all.
Also note that Hamilton doesn’t have a quote in his piece that explicitly states ND will actually investigate this.
“”The office of Residence Life will investigate possible violations of university policies when it is made aware of them, such as in this case,” Notre Dame school spokesman Dennis Brown said Monday.”
Who wants to bet ND admins didn’t even know about the photos until Hamilton called them up about it? Until the ND admin actually punishes the players, I wouldn’t put much stock in the “investigation.” The ND admin can be pretty square, but at times they can relax and live a little. It’s safe to say the vast majority of ND undergrads are drinking on a very regular basis.
Brian Hamilton: For those looking for someone lazier than Ty Willingham.
And people wonder why the Tribune is dying.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
9
DC Trojan says:
College football player drinks beer – shocking picture at 11!
Make them wear the jackets for on-field warm-ups before the first couple of away games of the season and call it even. Could this be any more trivial?
August 5th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
10
domer.mq says:
@7
No they don’t.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
11
Wooderson says:
It’s funny. Alabama has 7 members of it’s top 10 class not show up to practice, Georgia has 5 guys or so suspended for the opener, and I’m willing to bet people are going to be shrieking about this story a whole lot more.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
12
DC Trojan says:
I know that people in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones, but I hadn’t heard about the Bama players not showing up – is it a contract holdout problem?
August 5th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
13
Ryno says:
I was always under the impression that Irish football players sat at the top of the social mountain on campus at ND. They didn’t dress up for theme parties – other students dressed up when they were going to be hanging around with them!
I guess what I’m trying to say is Flipcup sucks.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
14
adolph oliver bush says:
#11. If only people gave that much of a shit about Notre Dame.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
15
Doug says:
I hope Clausen is smarter than he actually appears in all his pr staged events
He comes from the same genetic material that produced Casey, so that’s a negative on that one, Ghostrider.
I agree that this is mountain-out-of-molehill-type stuff, but remember that this is the idiot who stepped out of a Hummer stretch limo to make his signing announcement at the College Football Hall of Fame. You live by the media spotlight, you die by the media spotlight.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
16
dudis41 says:
Heads up, lawyas…
I had to comment on the Trib site…
So this:
“The office of Residence Life will investigate possible violations of university policies when it is made aware of them, such as in this case,”
equals this…
“Irish QB Jimmy Clausen and at least two teammates face alcohol-use investigation”
Jumping the gun slightly, eh? Maybe the copy editor should take a refresher on defamation…
August 5th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
17
NewAZTiger says:
#11 – Nope. One Word – Favre.
As for Bama’s 7 players not showing – they signed 32. 7 not showing was expected.
7. There’s that number again.
August 5th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
18
Wooderson says:
Adolph, clearly people don’t give a shit. That’s why a picture of our QB drinking causes a media fuss, and players getting arrested bring bylines in local newspapers at best.
DCTrojan, of the 32 guys Saban brought in, I believe 4 didn’t qualify academically and 2 are going to play baseball. Not sure about the other one.
August 5th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
19
Mucho Sax says:
The real question is about Clausen’s sexuality. First the picture of him and his “friends” in speedos and now this? I bet he has first hand experience as to why Charlie has the nickname “little tuna”.
August 5th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
20
Expat Ohioan says:
Um, 10? Yes they do, at least after more than one violation. Try to find out why Autry Denson started in the 1996 Orange Bowl.
August 5th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
21
domer.mq says:
@20
No they don’t. They don’t kick guys out for being in a female dorm after midnight.
Now, get walked in on by a priest or nun while you”ve got 2 cheerleaders and the cute sub-shop delivery girl helping you “fix the cable,” and you might get suspended. Maybe you get kicked out if it’s a repeat offense.
*Not saying that’s why Denson started. Just using that as a hypothetical.
August 5th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
22
lawya1 says:
My firned got caught “in the act” by a Nun no less at a girl’s dorm on campus (McGlinn) and they were both expelled. He enrolled at Miami and reapplied a year later.
August 5th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
23
Expat Ohioan says:
Oh….you’re *that* domer.mg. It’s an honor to know you, sir.
August 5th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
24
AllWhoYonder says:
I feel like it has gotten stricter there since I attended. I had three friends almost burn down Sorin College when their “session” caused problems (on the same floor of the building where the president of the university resided, no less) and none of them got more than a stern talking to by the rector.
August 5th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
25
alanon says:
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARES!
August 5th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
26
blon57 says:
#15
Wasn’t there a third brother? Are they all that…well, dense?
August 5th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
27
Doug says:
Yeah, the middle brother, Rick, signed with LSU but transferred to Tennessee. And he might’ve turned out to be the most successful of the three had Phil Fulmer not spun the wheel o’ quarterbacks until it flew off its axis back in ‘05. I have it on good authority that Rick is the only one of the three with two brain cells to rub together, and will continue to believe that until proven otherwise.
August 5th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
28
Irish09 says:
Not that they’re involved here, but…
Does anyone know of another state that has something like the Indiana State Excise Police? That is, a whole branch of law enforcement devoted to catching under-age drinking? Being from a strongly pro-booze state, I was confused by the concept when I first got to ND.
August 5th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
29
Biggus Rickus says:
blon57,
Rick Clausen was the third brother. I don’t remember him being obviously stupid, but I do remember him having the arm strength of a little league right fielder.
August 5th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
30
Papa Lou BSU says:
Come on, domer.mq, it’s the fucking Tribune’s fault that ND’s starting QB — a guy who’s had alcohol-related legal issues in the past and as Doug mentioned above, has not exactly shied away from the media glare — was dumb enough to allow himself to be photographed participating in a drinking-game competition while still underage? Really?
Do I personally think it’s a big deal? Nope. But there’s nothing “manufactured” about this story at all, unless every other story that rises from the blogs up to the traditional media is “manufactured” as well. Can everyone quit blaming the messenger for their own players’ stupidity, please?
Look at that, you made me go and defend the Champaign, er, Chicago Tribune. I feel so dirty now.
Irish09, I have not found anything similar in my travels around this great land of ours. All the more reason for the ISEP to be disbanded tomorrow (and for all the angst on the subject I’ve seen from ND folks, you should consider yourself fortunate… you haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen some of the undercover shenanigans Excise pulls at the state schools… the frickin’ DEA probably spends fewer resources planning their raids of international kingpins than ISEP does with your average off-campus kegger.)
August 5th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
31
domer.mq says:
@30,
Note that I don’t blame TBL, Deadspin, EDSBS, or any other blog for having fun with it. Where I take issue is with the particular “journalist” who “broke” the story and, I have a hunch, alerted ND admins while getting quotes for his new-found story, gets to continue covering ND as a paid-in-actual-money-beat-writer while thus far displaying less actual knowledge of the football program or the school than your average deaf, dumb, and blind 90 year old Iraqi.
It’s non-news. It’s great blog fodder. But the Tribune’s essentially given up on using whatever access they have with the program to develop actual stories.
August 5th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
32
Papa Lou BSU says:
Fair enough, mq. I just thought I was in for another round of “look how mean the Tribune is being to us!” martyrdom on the part of ND fans, when in fact, the overwhelming majority of ND coverage in that paper is of the positive variety (Avani Patel’s coverage could accurately be described as “fawning” when she was on the beat).
Also, when your head coach/SID routinely punishes reporters from other outlets whose coverage he doesn’t like (by pulling credentials, etc.), it tends to make other writers on that beat more adversarial, too. Just a thought.
I guess I just come from the position of a fan of a team who’s closest metro daily (the Indy Star) won’t even send a beat writer up to our home games — a whopping 50 miles away — and can barely be bothered to run a boxscore and a two-sentence recap of our games half the time. Meanwhile, whenever there’s a hint of crime or scandal on campus, they camp out for weeks. Comparatively, I’m not sure ND fans appreciate just how good they have it with the Tribune.
August 5th, 2008 at 4:32 pm
33
GeronimoRumplestiltskin says:
ND in regards to being in opposite sex’s room after midnight:
The rules for ND’s dorms are called parietals. Simply, you cannot be in a dorm (past the lobby) of the opposite sex (ND does not have co-ed dorms) after midnight on weeknights and after 2am on weekends.
If you are caught, a hearing is held. Occasionally, if the infraction was less than a half hour or if the student can convince the rector that it was a pure, 100%, swear-on-a-Bible accident, the student may not get booted out of his dorm. This rarely happens, and usually the student is forced to find off-campus lodging for the remainder of the school year. He/she may petition for dorm re-admittance for the next school year. No student, to my knowledge, has ever been expelled from the school for a parietals violation.
Parietals violations have cost ND on the football field, which, I believe, is what Expat Ohioan is referring to. Up until recently, ND had a rule that any athlete playing a varsity sport had to live on campus. Therefore, if an athlete got kicked out of his dorm, he was no longer allowed to play varsity sports. This is what happened to RB Randy Kinder prior to the 1996 Orange Bowl, and Tony Driver (?, or Tony Fisher, I get my Tonys mixed up) also missed most of the 1999 season due to being kicked off campus for a parietals violation in late September. However, neither player was dismissed from school.
Of course, some players would clandestinely get around the “varsity athletes must live on campus rule”: they would have an off-campus apartment (unknown to his dorm’s rector or to the University), but still maintain their dorm residence – get their mail there, show up for dorm meetings, etc. The ones that did this were pretty good at it, too: Justin Goheen (captain in 1994) “lived” in my dorm that year, and I didn’t know that he didn’t actually “live” there until around February, and only because I heard it from his “roommate”. However, if you were officially kicked out, the university would no longer be in the dark as to your actual residence, and for an athlete, that was the end of their season.
The “varsity athletes must live on campus rule” was altered a few years ago to allow varsity athletes in their senior year to live off-campus.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:50 am
34
GeronimoRumplestiltskin says:
lawya1:
“My firned got caught “in the act” by a Nun no less at a girl’s dorm on campus (McGlinn) and they were both expelled. He enrolled at Miami and reapplied a year later.”
That they got caught both a) breaking parietals AND b) “in the act” is what did them in, as premarital sex is also against the student code of conduct, as you would expect at a Catholic university. Only a) or b) would have gotten them merely tossed from their dorms.
Used to room with a Student Honor Board member. Learned all the fine shades of crime-and-punishment in regards to ND and SMC……
August 6th, 2008 at 11:56 am