Nov. 19, 2011; South Bend, IN, USA; Boston College Eagles safety Dominique Williams (9) pressures Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Tommy Rees (left) in the first quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

Rees, who will turn 20 next week, is charged with one count of battery, two counts of resisting law enforcement and one count of illegal consumption of alcohol by a minor.

South Bend police say Rees kneed a police officer in the chest after he ran from the party early May 3 after officers arrived. Ckearly, the charges could have been a lot worse.

Rees, free on $250 bond, is going back to court on July 17.

Linebacker Carlo Calabrese did not appear Thursday. Assistant prosecutor Andrew White spoke saying sometimes defendants are allowed to have their attorneys appear in their place. He said he did not know why Calabrese didn’t appear, but they will move on from it.

Calabrese didn’t enter a plea, and will be back to court on June 17th.

For the complete review of the night Rees and Calabrese were arrested, click here.

Brian Hardin, Notre Dame’s director of football media relations, said football coach Brian Kelly has no comment on Thursday’s court appearance. Kelly said he would withhold judgment until he could collect all the facts.

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October 2, 2010; Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Carlo Calabrese (44) lines up for a play against the Boston College Eagles during the third quarter at the Alumni Stadium. Notre Dame defeated Boston College 31-13. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

After the news broke early this morning that Quarterback Tommy Rees and Linebacker Carlo Calabrese were arrested after an altercation with police in South Bend, the question now remains, what disciplinary action will be taken by the team?

For those of you who do not know, Rees was arrested early Thursday morning after evading arrest for a misdemeanor public intoxication charge. Rees supposedly lifted his knee into an officer trying to detain him causing the officer to have the wind knocked out of him and suffer minor bruises. Calabrese was detained after trying to intervene and shouting to an officer “My people will get you.” He was released on $150 bond without being jailed and Rees was released on $250 bond after spending the day in jail. Tommy’s blood-alcohol level was .11 and Carlo’s was .12. Calabrese is of the legal age to drink, while Rees is not.

Coach Brian Kelly had this to say about the altercation when questioned by reporters:

“I am aware of last night’s incident involving two of our football players,” Kelly said. “I am of course very concerned given the nature of the allegations, but I am still gathering information. I’ll withhold judgment until I can collect all the facts and speak with both Carlo and Tommy.”

In my opinion, I think that this really sets back Tommy Rees as being a contender for the starting quarterback job in 2012. I am an Everett Golson man myself and as of the new details surrounding Rees’ arrest, it could be a three horse race from here on out. The disciplinary action I feel should be taken for Tommy is a 0ne or two game suspension at the beginning of the year due to the charge of resisting an officer. Police Officers are authority figures, not to be treated as if they are just someone off the street. I also feel that he should not be named the number one starter due to the fact that he would not is not capable of leading a team because of these off-the-field issues. I think that Carlo should be put on a watch by a Brian Kelly. Similar to the handling of the Michael Floyd DUI incident, Calabrese should be involved in community service and outreach programs and learn how to be a role model as football player and a Senior at the University of Notre Dame. Underclassmen should be able to look up to Seniors and act like them, not be reading articles in the paper about how they have been arrested. I happen to live in the same town as Carlo Calabrese and go to the same high school he attended and honestly I am quite fond of him.  I watched him play in high school and saw him around town and he is a good kid, who made a bad mistake. There are pictures of him and former Notre Dame Tight End, Anthony Fasano (who also attended my high school) all around my school. Tommy Rees also is not a bad kid, they both just made mistakes and they will have to pay the price for it.

Overall, it will be interesting to see how the situation sits with Brian Kelly by way of punishments. Entering his third season with the Irish, Kelly has had a few other off-the field issues to deal with, such as the Declan Sullivan tragedy and Michael Floyd’s DUI. We will all see how Kelly handles this one and if both players mature in the near future.

That’s been Notre Dame this season.

Brian Kelly and co. have heard a lot of criticism for a poor season, but how can he be expected to win without his top quarterback (Dayne Crist), his top running back (Armando Allen), his top tight end (Kyle Rudolph), and his best defensive lineman (Ian Williams)? Even Michael Floyd, his top wide receiver and probably top player, has missed time due to injury.

I can’t judge Kelly too harshly on this season because of how shorthanded his team has been. He has made some questionable coaching decisions (i.e. throwing at the end of the Tulsa game instead of setting up for, then kicking the field goal), but it hasn’t been a fair test. We will learn a lot more about Brian Kelly and his future at Notre Dame during next season. Until then, I’ll hold my tongue.

Somehow, despite the rash of injuries, and inexplicable losses to Navy and Tulsa, Notre Dame is a win Saturday over Army away from bowl eligibility. And, as the luck of the Irish would have it, Notre Dame will be getting some reinforcements for Saturday’s game. (ESPN Chicago) (more…)