I’m sure you’ve heard the news by this point–not one, but two, separate incidents last night led to the arrest of 6 total Notre Dame football players.

The first and more devastating arrests occurred as senior Max Redfield, redshirt freshman Ashton White, sophomore Dexter Williams, sophomore Te’von Coney, and freshman Kevin Stepherson were stopped in Fulton County at 10:07 PM for speeding 73 in a 60 mile per hour zone and with a tail light out in their vehicle. State troopers later discovered weed and a loaded handgun. White was driving and all three of Redfield, Stepherson, and Williams face additional gun charges.

In a separate incident senior Devin Butler was arrested outside of the Linebacker off campus after being involved in a fight, and proceeded to tangle with a police officer as well.

We’ll see how the charges eventually are filed and how things shake out. I would assume the gun charge will ultimately fall on one person and whomever it ends up being will be in a very, very bad spot. Not only are there likely to be significant suspensions from the football team but there could be very stiff penalties from the university. I wouldn’t be surprised if that gun charge brings with it a dismissal from school.

At minimum, I’d bet everyone is getting 2 game suspensions but it’ll likely be much worse for more than one player. As far as the impact on the depth chart:

Redfield- This could be the end, unfortunately. Even if he’s suspended a handful of games I’m not sure he’s earned the trust of anyone on the team anymore. In trouble with teammates 2 to 4 years younger than him? Come on, man. If Studstill turns out to be a quality freshman he might keep Redfield on the bench for good. Even still, the depth at safety is atrocious so this is awful news that could really harm the defense.

White- He was doing some nice things in fall camp but still not a threat to start. However, that great depth everyone has been talking about at corner takes a hit. Plus there was also a possibility of White maybe becoming a safety down the road and while it’s nice to see freshmen doing good things I’m not sure we want to rely on them if needed, especially early in the season.

Williams- Things were starting to look really good for the rising sophomore. He could have played a lot early in the season with Folston shaking rust off from his knee injury and Josh Adams being slowed down all camp. Now, for a team that believes running the ball could be its greatest strength that job got a little tougher.

Coney- Kelly recently inferred strongly, but didn’t actually say it, that Martini was the starter at weak-side linebacker. However, some still expected Coney to play the most. Depending on the length of any suspension this could be bad or it could be entirely fine.

Stepherson- It’s tough to get too upset about a possible suspension from a true freshman but Stepherson could have been as high as the 4th receiver straight away in the opener. At best, it could significantly affect the depth at a position that really needs a bunch of young and inexperienced players to step up as soon as possible.

Butler- Currently recovering from a broken foot and not expected to play until the mid-to-late portion of the season. Although he carries with him some experience it was going to be a tough hill to climb in order to come back mid-season and make an impact. It’s likely that in football terms this means the end to Butler’s career at Notre Dame. He’s either facing a lengthy suspension and/or unlikely to suit up in a significant role for the Irish.

Sunday afternoon update:

Max Redfield has been dismissed from the football program and Devin Butler has been placed on indefinite suspension.

 

The fate of the other 4 players is yet to be determined. Remember, they also will be subject to any legal and/or school-related punishment, as well.