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From Herloyalsons.com
As far as the reason why Lynch is out, all ND has officially said to this point is that Lynch decided it would be best for him to go back home and transfer to a Florida school. Kelly issued the usual company line of players needing to have their "head and heart" 100% all-in to ND to succeed as expected. Unofficially though, rumors have been flying over the internet for quite some time about how Lynch would prefer to be in Florida over ND because of the weather, his home, his girlfriend, or a combination of all three. These rumors are not completely unfounded either. Lynch has mentioned some of his homesickness struggles in interviews and even his Twitter feed as well.
What has not been mentioned publicly though is the relationship with his teammates. Thanks to GrantlandX, we are able to get a full picture. Our anonymous student reporter (who, just to be clear, is not officially affiliated with the football team) was able to talk to some members of the team and shared some of his insights on Twitter today:
For the record, Lynch's teammates didn't like him anyway. He pissed them all off with his "I'm so tough, mean streak" edge.
— Grantland X (@GrantlandX) April 13, 2012
And I'm not kidding about that at all. Lynch was immature, and picked fights for the sake of doing it. Tate Nichols wasn't a rarity
— Grantland X (@GrantlandX) April 13, 2012
Won't deny that Lynch was a superb talent, but the team won't be crying over his departure. Rumors are that Kona Schwenke is a BEAST anyway
— Grantland X (@GrantlandX) April 13, 2012
Of course, after seeing this, we definitely wanted GrantlandX to expand on his tweets. And expand he did:
It was apparent in the 2011 football season that Lynch has a temper -- he racked up the personal fouls and cited that that's just how he plays, and it's bound to happen -- but that temper would often spill over from just game time. Lynch had an arrogance about him, carried himself as "better than you" to both non-athletes on campus and his teammates, and that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. I personally have seen him had to be restrained by teammates when he tried to a student for apparently "giving him a weird look". He has this strange, crazy edge to him.
Players on the team also weren't afraid to call him a hothead and say he needed to calm down, but that's just not in his DNA. He was frequently picking fights and arguments, which eventually culminated in the highly publicized, all-out brawl in practice with offensive lineman Tate Nichols that ultimately led to his departure from the team. While this was the most extreme example of his disconnect with his teammates, it was not his first altercation with some of them. The locker room will without a doubt be a better place without such a strong voice of dissent in it.
Now, to be fair, plenty of teammates like Aaron Lynch, and it wasn't like he was ostracized or alienated from the team. He is with them all the time, and they are indeed friends, even if they have disagreements. His temper and relentless, in-your-face competitiveness would get on anyone's nerves, but teammates aren't thrilled about him leaving. Having talked to several players after the news broke, they mentioned that they wish he would stay, but he had to make the decision for him, and Notre Dame was just not the place for him. Players said that he was a player that could've had a huge impact, but "we will be fine without him" too. And that's just it right there. Brian Kelly has always had that "next man in" philosophy, and it appears that Kona Schwenke could be ready to step into Lynch's role right now. I have heard nothing but rave reviews for Kona.
Now with the whole picture in front of us, it is easy to see why Lynch decided it would be best for him to leave. Being homesick alone is rough, I went through it too just about every winter in South Bend myself (especially when I came home during the winter); however, I never felt like my personality was at odds with my friends on campus and I never felt out of place. It definitely seems that Lynch likely didn't have that same comfort level and that missing piece simply cannot trump homesickness.
It sucks to see Lynch go, but thankfully Notre Dame, for the first time in a very long time, is stacked on the D-line. As GrantlandX pointed out, Kona Schwenke is having a hell of a spring and with this team's "next man in" mentality, he now has a big chance to step up. The other two members of the line, Louis Nix and Stephon Tuitt aren't exactly pushovers and will only improve in 2012.
As far as Lynch's next destination, rumors thus far have him going to the University South Florida. Yes, that would be the same South Florida that has a Holtz on the sideline and will scoop up yet another Irish turnover. The irony is not lost on me.
Happy Friday the 13th...
What has not been mentioned publicly though is the relationship with his teammates. Thanks to GrantlandX, we are able to get a full picture. Our anonymous student reporter (who, just to be clear, is not officially affiliated with the football team) was able to talk to some members of the team and shared some of his insights on Twitter today:
For the record, Lynch's teammates didn't like him anyway. He pissed them all off with his "I'm so tough, mean streak" edge.
— Grantland X (@GrantlandX) April 13, 2012
And I'm not kidding about that at all. Lynch was immature, and picked fights for the sake of doing it. Tate Nichols wasn't a rarity
— Grantland X (@GrantlandX) April 13, 2012
Won't deny that Lynch was a superb talent, but the team won't be crying over his departure. Rumors are that Kona Schwenke is a BEAST anyway
— Grantland X (@GrantlandX) April 13, 2012
Of course, after seeing this, we definitely wanted GrantlandX to expand on his tweets. And expand he did:
It was apparent in the 2011 football season that Lynch has a temper -- he racked up the personal fouls and cited that that's just how he plays, and it's bound to happen -- but that temper would often spill over from just game time. Lynch had an arrogance about him, carried himself as "better than you" to both non-athletes on campus and his teammates, and that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. I personally have seen him had to be restrained by teammates when he tried to a student for apparently "giving him a weird look". He has this strange, crazy edge to him.
Players on the team also weren't afraid to call him a hothead and say he needed to calm down, but that's just not in his DNA. He was frequently picking fights and arguments, which eventually culminated in the highly publicized, all-out brawl in practice with offensive lineman Tate Nichols that ultimately led to his departure from the team. While this was the most extreme example of his disconnect with his teammates, it was not his first altercation with some of them. The locker room will without a doubt be a better place without such a strong voice of dissent in it.
Now, to be fair, plenty of teammates like Aaron Lynch, and it wasn't like he was ostracized or alienated from the team. He is with them all the time, and they are indeed friends, even if they have disagreements. His temper and relentless, in-your-face competitiveness would get on anyone's nerves, but teammates aren't thrilled about him leaving. Having talked to several players after the news broke, they mentioned that they wish he would stay, but he had to make the decision for him, and Notre Dame was just not the place for him. Players said that he was a player that could've had a huge impact, but "we will be fine without him" too. And that's just it right there. Brian Kelly has always had that "next man in" philosophy, and it appears that Kona Schwenke could be ready to step into Lynch's role right now. I have heard nothing but rave reviews for Kona.
Now with the whole picture in front of us, it is easy to see why Lynch decided it would be best for him to leave. Being homesick alone is rough, I went through it too just about every winter in South Bend myself (especially when I came home during the winter); however, I never felt like my personality was at odds with my friends on campus and I never felt out of place. It definitely seems that Lynch likely didn't have that same comfort level and that missing piece simply cannot trump homesickness.
It sucks to see Lynch go, but thankfully Notre Dame, for the first time in a very long time, is stacked on the D-line. As GrantlandX pointed out, Kona Schwenke is having a hell of a spring and with this team's "next man in" mentality, he now has a big chance to step up. The other two members of the line, Louis Nix and Stephon Tuitt aren't exactly pushovers and will only improve in 2012.
As far as Lynch's next destination, rumors thus far have him going to the University South Florida. Yes, that would be the same South Florida that has a Holtz on the sideline and will scoop up yet another Irish turnover. The irony is not lost on me.
Happy Friday the 13th...
so hard September 22nd.
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