As Notre Dame continues to investigate an academic irregularity connected to members of the football program, the Fighting Irish have made a decision to suspend safety Eilar Hardy from team activities and games. That bring the suspension total up to five for this weekend in South Bend as a result of the ongoing investigation into academic dishonesty.
Hardy is a reserve player on the Notre Dame roster, but obvious depth concerns are mounting for the Irish defense in light of this potential academic scandal. Earlier this month Notre Dame suspended wide receiver DaVaris Daniels, linebacker Kendall Moore, cornerback KeiVarae Russell and defensive end Ishaq Williams. All five players will miss the season opener this weekend against Rice.
As noted by JJ Stankevitz on CSN Chicago, the Irish are still relatively deep at the safety position even with this latest suspension news. The Irish have Austin Collinsworth, Max Redfield, Elijah Shumate and Matthias Farley as well as Nicky Baratti available at the safety position.