Jones To Get Notre Dame Release

It looks like Notre Dame will take the high road after all in regard to former quarterback Demetrius Jones. Whether this will enable him to play football at Northern Illinois is less certain, but at least it’s a start.

Notre Dame athletic director Kevin White had earlier said the Irish would not grant Jones a release, thus forcing him to pay his own way to college for a year. But heavy criticism followed and White mellowed that position during a released statement Thursday night that said, “We have reached out to (Jones) to assist him and his family in ascertaining his athletic and academic future plans. It’s our hope that Demetrius can enroll at an institution at which he might be able to receiver a scholarship, possibly be eligible for the 2008 season, and continue to make progress toward his degree without interruption.”

Jones is already enrolled at Northern Illinois. However, if he wants an athletic scholarship, he might have to transfer to another school. White said in the release that, “We are helping Demetrius compile a list of prospective schools that are not on our immediate future football schedules.”

Northern Illinois is not on any future Notre Dame schedule.