Jones' Release Will Include Northern Illinois

It looks like Notre Dame finally got it right in the Demetrius Jones saga. The Irish have agreed to release the quarterback to any school he wants that does not appear on a future Irish schedule. That figures to be Northern Illinois, where Jones has been attending class for the last week.

Notre Dame released a statement Friday evening saying Jones and his family met with Irish athletic administrators earlier in the day, and that athletic director Kevin White agreed to the release.

Northern Illinois is not on the Irish schedule. Jones will sit out this season and then have three years of eligibility remaining.

Notre Dame officials could have saved themselves a lot of public relations grief by doing this sooner. Now that it’s done, the focus can return to where it needs to be –- improving play and winning games.