SOUTH BEND, Ind. — High winds, a lack of current weather information and a hydraulic lift susceptible to tipping all contributed to the death of a student video trainer at Notre Dame in October, the university said Monday after a six-month internal investigation into the accident.
Notre Dame’s report said no one person was responsible for the death of 20-year-old Declan Sullivan, who was filming football practice from a lift extended to its full height of 40 feet in high winds Oct. 27 when it toppled.
“In the grief and distress that follows a tragic accident, it is common to seek the individual or individuals responsible and assign blame,” said the Rev. John I. Jenkins, the president of Notre Dame. “We have reached the conclusion that no one acted in disregard for safety.”
Barnes stays with Tar Heels
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes, a 6-foot-8 forward, will return for his sophomore season instead of declaring for the NBA draft. Barnes was the Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year, averaging nearly 16 points.
• New Oklahoma basketball coach Lon Kruger completed his coaching staff by hiring assistant Chris Crutchfield away from Oral Roberts.
• University of Utah men’s basketball coach Larry Krystkowiak has added Andy Hill, who worked with Krystkowiak for three seasons at Montana, as an assistant coach.
• Washington State guard Klay Thompson has announced his intention to enter the NBA draft, but he won’t hire an agent until he’s certain about his draft position.
• Suspended Penn State freshman guard Taran Buie, the top recruit in coach Ed DeChellis‘ eight- year tenure, will transfer.
Ribbon cut on new CWS stadium
OMAHA — About two dozen dignitaries cut the ribbon on TD Ameritrade Park, the 24,000-seat stadium that replaces Rosenblatt Stadium as the home for the College World Series.
The stadium was built with the promise of a 25-year commitment from the NCAA to continue holding the Division I baseball championship in Omaha.
The CWS begins June 18.
Footnotes.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the Chicago Bears at London’s Wembley Stadium in October if the NFL season isn’t altered by a labor dispute.
• Deion Bonner, 18, reportedly being recruited by Georgia as a cornerback, was one of two high school football players charged with theft from the Bulldogs’ football locker room, authorities in Athens said.
• Mason Rudolph, who qualified for the U.S. Open at the age of 16 and was the 1959 PGA Tour rookie of the year, died Monday at a hospice in Tuscaloosa, Ala. He was 76.
• A grand jury in Charlottesville, Va. indicted former University of Virginia lacrosse player George Huguely, 23, of Chevy Chase, Md., on murder and other charges in the 2010 death of Yeardley Love, a women’s team member he had been dating.
The Associated Press
