Anyone surprised that Adon Shuler will play in Notre Dame’s season opener just days after his father's death should look more closely at the relationship they had.
Shuler, who was named one of four Fighting Irish captains earlier this week, knows that if he had skipped the game, his father would have been mad at him. “I was home for the last 48 hours with my family,” Shuler said. “But I have to get back here with my brothers. We got a game coming up, and that’s what he wanted, and that’s what he expected,” Shuler told the media when he met with them on Wednesday.
Notre Dame football captain Adon Shuler explains why playing was never in doubt
Shuler has never made it very hard for people to root for him. He seems to revel in the leadership role he was given. He doesn’t revel in it because he exhibits control, or because it somehow elevates him above the rest. He revels in it because he truly considers his Notre Dame teammates to be his brothers, and he wants to make sure his extended family is as good as it can be.
It’s clear that Shuler feels that playing in the season opener means a great deal to him as a leader of the team and someone who wants to set an example. There’s also the idea that some people need to stay busy rather than sit still and dwell on their loss.
Head coach Marcus Freeman talked on Friday about the strength that Shuler showed in the wake of the blow the family took when Don Shuler passed away.
“He is such a strong young man, and his focus wasn't on himself. It was on making sure he was there for his mom and his brothers. And that tells you who Adon Shuler is. He doesn't think about himself. He thinks about others. Playing in this game wasn't ever in question. He made that known from the moment his father passed away.”
The Notre Dame football team's head coach understands why Adon Shuler needs to play on Sunday and he's behind him all the way.
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