Michael Floyd will be a Notre Dame student next fall.

Whether he’s a Notre Dame football player remains to be seen and Brian Kelly wouldn’t set a timeline for the star receiver’s reinstatement following Saturday’s spring practice, one day after Floyd’s meeting with the Office of Residence Life that didn’t result in a fall semester suspension. The results of that hearing included community service, according to sources.

Kelly suspended Floyd indefinitely the day after the receiver’s March 20 arrest on a charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated near the Notre Dame campus. That suspension remains in effect with no clear end in sight.

“I think right now when we’re talking about Mike, I haven’t reached any kind of thought process as that’s a game or two games or three games or geez, what he did requires a five-game suspension,” Kelly said. “I haven’t even ventured into that yet, it’s too early.

“We’re three weeks post a very, very serious event that occurred. It wasn’t a small event. This was serious. For me, my focus has been on our football team and developing our players that are here. As it relates to Mike, it’s been simply about his personal development. I haven’t even given any thought to ‘Let’s see, we got South Florida, maybe we’ll just …’ I haven’t even got into those kinds of equations because quite frankly I think it’s too early to even tell whether we’re going to be able to even get to that from my perspective.”

Kelly talked about “hurdles” Floyd must clear for reinstatement but declined to specify what the rising senior must do to earn his way back. Floyd’s suspension from team activities has included him working out on his own and seeking counseling following his third alcohol-related incident during his Notre Dame career.

Kelly said there’s no drop-dead date for a reinstatement decision.

In a preemptive response to criticism that Notre Dame is lowering its standards by not suspending Floyd for the season, a move that may have been likely under the former configuration of ResLife, Kelly held firm.

“Our players are going to be held accountable and responsible,” Kelly said. “He’s got a lot of hurdles in front of him, a lot of things that have to come together in the right way. That’s why I continue to say, as I said from the outset, we are so far removed from the football part of this.

 

“It’s only been three weeks. This young man needs some time to get some things in order. He’s doing the right things. We’ve put together a plan that he has to follow, that he wants to follow. He’s the one who said, ‘I need to do these things to be right.’ He’s followed through with those, but it’s only three weeks. There’s a lot of work to be done. There’s a lot of hurdles that he’s got to cross first.”

Notre Dame’s sports information department distributed a statement from Floyd before Kelly spoke on the issue.

“I’ve met with the Office of Residence Life and, while I don’t plan to discuss the details, I’m grateful that I still have a chance to earn my degree from Notre Dame and be a member of the football team,” Floyd said. “I know that I still need to meet requirements set by the university and Coach Kelly, and that I have a lot of work to do that and to prove that I’ve grown from this experience. I’m sorry again for the poor decisions I’ve made and for letting so many people down.”