Notre Dame may not play football against Purdue annually anymore but for the better part of a century the two made up one of the best in-state, non-conference rivalries in college football.
Now the two are facing their own issues as they work to combat coronavirus and prevent COVID-19 outbreaks on their teams and on their campuses.
Notre Dame has obviously recently dealt with an outbreak on the football team that led to the postponement of their game against Wake Forest that had been scheduled for last Saturday.
Now Purdue is dealing with an issue not so much because of an outbreak, but because of a broken pledge by athletes.
According to Dave Bangert of the Lafayette Journal & Courier, Purdue University suspended 14 students for throwing a party that broke the Protect Purdue Pledge, per the Dean of Students, Katie Sermersheim
13 of those 14 students are athletes.
Although the particular sport each of those 13 athletes play is not public knowledge, Sermersheim did note that none of the athletes were currently in season.
The suspensions were the second round reported on the Purdue campus after Purdue President Mitch Daniels installed the Protect Purdue Pledge into the university’s student code.
I know it’s easy to point and say how irresponsible the students are and how selfish their acts are, and you’re right when you note that.
I certainly know I’m happy I’m in my thirties now though and that I’m not a college kid because a lot of learning is done by doing wrong at that age and I’m guessing I would have suffered a similar fate, not then understanding what I was doing.