Rees, Calabrese out for Navy
The University of Notre Dame and Irish head coach Brian Kelly announced Tuesday that quarterback Tommy Rees and linebacker Carlo Calabrese will serve a one-game suspension to start the 2012 season as a result of their arrest on May 3 in South Bend.
Notre Dame opens the campaign on Sept. 1 in Dublin, Ireland against Navy.
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“Our players understand that it’s a privilege to be associated with the University of Notre Dame and its football program, but with that comes great responsibility,” said Kelly in a released statement.
“Carlo and Tommy put themselves in a situation that when given a choice between two distinct paths, they responded with a set of poor decisions. This conduct was inconsistent with my expectations for our football program - especially our veteran, team leaders.
“Carlo and Tommy will not travel with the team to Ireland and can attempt to climb the depth chart following the conclusion of their respective suspensions.”
Rees was arrested after fleeing an off-campus party on May 3. Rees, 20, was charged with two counts of resisting law enforcement, one count of battery and one count of illegal consumption of alcohol.
After pleading not guilty in June, Rees pleaded guilty on July 23 to minor consumption and resisting law enforcement -- both misdemeanors -- while the charges of misdemeanor battery and resisting law enforcement were dropped by the St. Joseph County prosecutor’s office.
Rees was sentenced to 330 days probation and 50 hours of community service, and also was required to write a letter to the arresting police officers for his actions.
Calabrese was arrested on one count of misdemeanor intimidation for allegedly threatening a police officer. His next hearing is slated for Aug. 20.
Notre Dame’s decision means that the Irish will have a different starting quarterback for the season-opener against Navy, marking the first time since the 2011 opener against South Florida that Rees did not take the first snap of a game. That responsibility will fall to either junior Andrew Hendrix, sophomore Everett Golson or freshman Gunner Kiel. Rees has started 16 of Notre Dame’s last 17 games.
Calabrese started eight games for the Irish in 2010, finishing with 60 tackles, five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. He played in all 13 games last season, but lost his starting job to Dan Fox. Calabrese was credited with 37 tackles and one sack in ’11.
