Coach has no one to blame but himself

George O'Leary resigned Friday as head football coach at Notre Dame, less than a week after being hired, because of two misrepresentations on his résumé. CNNSI.com spoke with Sports Illustrated senior writer Ivan Maisel about the developments.

CNNSI.com: Given what has now transpired, should George O'Leary have been pressured to step down?

Ivan Maisel: I didn't think so before this latest development, but I can't defend claiming an academic degree. No, it has nothing to do with his efficacy as a football coach, but it has everything to do with the mission of a university.

CNNSI.com: Why would a football coach even need to inflate his academic record?

Maisel: If you're trying to get a job, you're trying to get a job. Who knows why he did it? I certainly don't. It's one thing to say you received a letter for playing when you didn't play, but when you claim to have earned a degree you didn't receive, you strike at the very heart of what academics are supposed to be about. So that's a little more serious.

CNNSI.com: You've had a good bit of contact with O'Leary over the years. Are you surprised by his involvement in such an episode?

Maisel: Frankly, my opinion of him has not diminished. George is a good man and a good coach. He just screwed up this one instance.

CNNSI.com: Generally speaking, how carefully do athletic directors check the credentials of coaching prospects?

Maisel: I've never heard of an AD who delved into a candidate's academic background. Maybe they start now. I don't think that will happen. O'Leary may become a cautionary tale for coaches not to do this, but I seriously doubt even that. People have fudged résumés, people have fudged expense accounts. If you're going to do it, you just do it until you get caught. What's so mindboggling is that it's just not necessary in this case.

CNNSI.com: Where does Notre Dame go from here?

Maisel: It'll be interesting, because there are coaches out there who won't want to be seen as the second choice, or in this case possibly even the fourth or fifth choice. I don't know. Kevin White has always worked quickly to hire somebody, but I'm not so sure this time he'll do that

CNNSI.com: Where does O'Leary go from here?

Maisel: I don't think he can go back to Georgia Tech. For one thing, he had brought three assistants with him to Notre Dame, so the six guys he left behind will be mad at him.

He's got one strike against him because of this, another strike because he'll be in his late 50s trying to get a head coaching job. It's going to take a university president and an athletic director with a strong consitution to hire him as a head coach.

CNNSI.com: Does this raise the possibility that there may be more inconsistencies in O'Leary's background?

Maisel: Who knows. At this point, it's almost irrelevant. I'm sure if there are, the damage is already done.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Ivan Maisel covers college football for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.

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