Fact-check: Did Brian Kelly kill a student?

More than a decade after the tragic incident that led to the death of Declan Sullivan, many still hold Brian Kelly responsible due to his alleged inaction.

The calamitous incident at Notre Dame football practice on Oct. 27, 2010, shook the college football world.

Brian Kelly did not murder the young videographer as many had accused him. However, people believe the incident leading to Sullivan's death could have been averted if Kelly had made the right decision.

Sullivan, a 20-year-old student at the University of Notre Dame, had been given the responsibility of operating a hydraulic lift to record football practice from an elevated position. Unfortunately, a strong wind caused the 30-foot-tall scissor lift to topple over, leading to Sullivan's fall.

There was a swift response to the incident from the necessary areas, with an ambulance arriving at the scene in no time. Sullivan was rushed to the South Bend hospital for immediate medical attention. However, the medical staff couldn’t save him despite the urgent attention he got.

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Brian Kelly's murder accusation

Head coach Brian Kelly faced intense scrutiny and criticism in the wake of the incident. Many questioned whether he was right to allow the practice to continue in such adverse weather conditions. He was blamed for not prioritizing the safety of the players and coaching staff of the team.

However, Brian Kelly responded that Notre Dame had systems in place for dealing with safety issues at practice. However, those systems failed on that very day and were being evaluated. His decision to proceed with the practice was based on his view on productivity. Kelly said:

“You have to be able to look at the weather conditions and find out whether you believe it's going to be a productive day first. We believed it to be productive, and it was productive, obviously, up until the tragedy. Practice must be safe.”

On continuing practice after the tragic incident, Brian Kelly mentioned that he instructed his assistants to handle the team as soon as the tower collapsed. Then, he proceeded to where the tower had fallen, keeping every other team member away.

"I gathered the coaches quickly, two of them, and said, 'Keep practicing.' At that point, we had players that were starting to migrate towards the accident scene. I thought it was important for me to keep our guys away from that accident scene."

"Again, if I had the knowledge specifically of wind speed and heights of lifts, all of those, I certainly would provide those to you. I just don't have that information," Kelly said.

Read Brian Kelly's full response here.

In Notre Dame’s following game against Tulsa, a moment of silence was observed, and a prayer was offered in honor of Sullivan. Both teams paid tribute to the young videographer by wearing shamrock decals featuring the letters DS.