We want answers. The family of Declan Sullivan deserves them.
It still would be nice if a person from Notre Dame — a player, coach, administrator, official, heck, I’d settle for the leprechaun — openly refuted the notion that Sullivan made a decision that led to his own death. Somebody, anybody to accurately describe the environment that makes it impractical, if not impossible, for a 20-year-old kid to declare he is defying the tradition of a program everybody on campus worships.
We won’t know for awhile if Notre Dame will owe Sullivan’s family as much as the $45-$60 million Forbes magazine estimated it could after a lawsuit, but the university owes Sullivan freedom of responsibility here. It owes him the dignity in death of not allowing even one person to consider it was partly his fault, to proactively clear his name.
ChicagoTribune.com
11/5/10
