NOTRE DAME – Notre Dame football commentator Allen Pinkett will be off the air for another two Irish football games over controversial comments he made during an interview with a Chicago radio station last week.
The Notre Dame IMG Radio Network announced Tuesday afternoon Pinkett, who was removed from the Irish opening game vs. Navy, will be suspended without pay for the upcoming games against Purdue and Michigan State.
A decision on who will sit in the broadcast booth with play-by-play announcer Don Criqui will be made in the coming days.
Pinkett's suspension stems from his words on WSCR-670 AM:
"I've always felt like to have a successful team you've got to have a few bad citizens on the team. That's how Ohio State used to win all the time. They would have two or three guys that were criminals and that just adds to the chemistry of the team. I think Notre Dame is growing because maybe they have some guys that are doing something worthy of a suspension which creates edge on the football team.
"You can't have a football team full of choirboys,” Pinkett continued. “You get your butt kicked if you've got a team full of choirboys so you've got to have a little bit of edge. But the coach has to be the dictator and the ultimate ruler. Here's my opinion: You don't hand out suspensions unless you know you've got somebody behind that guy that can make plays."
Pinkett’s words were part of a discussion over the recent two-game suspensions of Cierre Wood and Justin Utupo on top of the earlier one-game suspensions for Tommy Rees and Carlo Calabrese.
Given a chance to back off his comments, Pinkett kept going.
"I absolutely meant that," Pinkett said. "The chemistry is so important on a football team. You have to have a couple of bad guys that sort of teeter on that edge to add to the flavor of the guys that are going to always do right because that just adds to the chemistry of the football team. You have to have ... you look at the teams that have won in the past they have always had a couple of criminals."
Pinkett later apologized.
“Allen has done a great job for the Notre Dame IMG Radio network over the past four years, has a supportive fan base, and most importantly, has expressed deep heartfelt remorse for his choice of words, which were not in the spirit of college athletics,” the Notre Dame IMG Radio Network said. “After careful deliberation and thorough discussion, we believe the right decision is to allow a truly repentant Allen Pinkett an opportunity to return to the booth beginning with the fourth game of the college football season.”
“I love this school as much as I love my kids and would never want to compromise the ethics and morals of my alma mater, Notre Dame,” Pinkett said. “I would again like to offer my most sincere and heartfelt apology to all those affected by my inappropriate comments, particularly the University, the school’s hard-working and courageous student athletes, all Fighting Irish fans and team supporters, our friends at The Ohio State University, and my colleagues at IMG Notre Dame Radio Network. This offering of forgiveness is an extremely humbling life lesson. I will work very hard to make the most of this second chance in representing the high standards and proud tradition of Notre Dame football.”
Pinkett has been part of Notre Dame football radio broadcasts for eight years. He was a two-time All-American running back at Notre Dame.
