On Saturday, Floyd and Kelly released joint statements saying they were pleased with the fact the star receiver will have the chance to remain in school while acknowledging steps will be need to be taken before Floyd returns to the football team.
“I'm happy that he has the opportunity to move forward both academically and athletically here at Notre Dame,” Kelly’s statement read. “However, this does not change the fact that Michael is still a suspended member of our football team.
“Part of the reinstatement process to our team involved conclusions to the legal and university disciplinary matters. Another part was behavior modification and improved decision-making skills. While I have been pleased with the progress Michael has made in the last few weeks, there is still work to be done to convince me he has matured and that he is willing to accept the consequences of his actions, learn from them, and become a better person. Until that happens, he will not be an active member of our team.”
Floyd’s statement acknowledged the need to prove himself to Kelly.
“I know that I still need to meet requirements set by the university and Coach Kelly, and that I have a lot of work to do to do that and to prove that I've grown from this experience. I'm sorry again for the poor decisions I've made and for letting so many people down.”
Kelly met with reporters after the statement was issued and made it clear football isn’t a top priority for Floyd right now.
“This is not about football,” he said. “Everybody has jumped to conclusions that Mike Floyd is going to play football. Mike has so many things on his plate that he has to handle before he can play football. Again, academics, and personally, a lot of things and hurdles he’s going to have to go through before he can even start thinking about football.
“Where I’m happy for him is that he gets a chance to finish his degree. I think we’ve put the cart before the horse relative to Mike Floyd as it relates to football.”
It’s too early for Kelly to formulate a timeline for when Floyd can prove he’s ready to return to the team. The coach called the situation “fluid,” saying it would be an ongoing evaluation and declining to discuss whether the suspension would stretch into the 2011 season.
“It’s only been three weeks,” Kelly said of Floyd’s arrest. “This young man needs some time to get some things in order. He’s doing the right things. We’ve put together a plan that he has to follow, that he wants to follow. He’s the one who said, ‘I need to do these things to be right.’”
Kelly offered the possibility of Floyd thinking the steps would be too hard to take, but is pleased with the attitude he’s taken so far.
ResLife’s decision seems to mark a clear departure from past precedents, but Kelly isn’t worried about outside perceptions.
“I can’t look into decisions made in the past, I only live in the present,” he said. “I think you know how I handled Mike Floyd from the beginning. Our players are going to be held responsible and accountable from the beginning. He has a lot of hurdles in front of him. A lot of things that have to occur and come together in the right way.”
