Kelly added that the status of the players with the university and the football team can be impacted by the justice system and the university’s discipline.
Advertisement
The decision follows the arrest of six football players, including Redfield and Butler, in two separate incidents late Friday night and early Saturday morning.
Redfield was one of five Irish players arrested and charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana in an incident Friday night.
Redfield and the four other players running back Dexter Williams, linebacker Te’von Coney, wide receiver Kevin Stepherson Jr. and cornerback Ashton White were arrested Friday night after Indiana State Police said a trooper stopped a vehicle in Fulton County, about 35 miles south of South Bend, for speeding.
A little more than a week ago, Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly expressed the satisfaction he had with starting safety Max Redfield’s progress as an “elite level” player.
Notre Dame cornerback Devin Butler was jailed Saturday after a police officer said the player punched and slammed him to the ground outside a bar, and five teammates were arrested in a separate incident when a trooper found marijuana and a loaded handgun inside their auto during a traffic stop. Max Redfield, 21, of Mission Viejo, California; Kevin Stepherson Jr., 18, of Jacksonville, Florida; and Dexter Williams, 19, of Winter Garden, Florida, are facing additional charges for possession of a handgun without a license.
Asked whether the school was considering any disciplinary action against the six student-athletes, Paul Browne, vice president for public affairs and communications at Notre Dame, outlined the university’s general policy.
“Even within that system, there are times when a player’s conduct so clearly fails to meet the standards I have set for our football team that it is appropriate to take any action independent of any decision that might be made by the Office of Community Standards”.
Redfield, a senior who was expected to start at safety this season, was sent home from the Fiesta Bowl last season for violating team rules. “This is such an instance”.
“The expectations we set for the members of our team are high, but they are especially so for the upperclassmen who are expected to provide leadership and a positive example to the other members of the team”, Kelly said.
All five posted bond and were released from the county jail, a spokesman said. Formal charges haven’t been filed against him, according to the South Bend Tribune.
Butler faces two felony charges: resisting arrest and battery of a police officer.
The Notre Dame team, ranked No. 9 in ESPN’s preseason college football poll, completed training camp on Friday in preparation for its September 4 opening game at the University of Texas.
Advertisement
Butler broke his left foot in June and wasn’t expected to return until October at the earliest.
