Irish coach Brian Kelly suspended junior receiver Michael Floyd Monday in the wake of the team captain's arrest for operating while intoxicated early Sunday morning. Floyd was stopped early Sunday morning for allegedly operating a motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration of 0.15 or more, according to a St. Joseph County Police report.
"In light of what happened this past weekend, I let [Floyd] know that he has been suspended indefinitely from football team-related activities," Kelly said. "Football needs to take a backseat at the moment while Michael gets his life in order, and while I don't know when Michael will be reinstated, it will not happen until Michael demonstrates he has successfully modified his behavior and the legal and university disciplinary matters have run their respective courses."
Floyd was pulled over by Notre Dame Security Police at the intersection of Angela Boulevard and Notre Dame Avenue for running a stop sign. Floyd failed three sobriety tests and was then administered a breathalyzer test, which recorded .19 grams of alcohol per 210 liters of breath.
The officer arrested Floyd on campus and he was processed into the St. Joseph County jail shortly after 4 a.m., St. Joseph County Police spokesman Sgt. Bil Redman said. Floyd posted $500 bond in the late morning and was released.
Floyd released a statement apologizing for his actions.
"I want to apologize to my family, friends, teammates, coaches, the University and the extended Notre Dame family for my behavior this weekend," he said. "I absolutely recognize that I have many things to work on to become a better person and will need to regain the trust of all whom I have hurt within my immediate family and the Notre Dame family."
University spokesman Dennis Brown said Notre Dame is aware of the incident and is confident local police will handle it in a "prompt, thorough and professional manner."
Brown said the University does not publicly discuss specific disciplinary cases.
"It is well known that Notre Dame has high standards for student conduct, takes these matters seriously, follows the facts where they lead and, when necessary, institutes appropriate sanctions at the appropriate time," Brown said.
Floyd finished his third season with the Irish with 79 catches for 1,025 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Saint Paul, Minn., native's name is scattered throughout the Notre Dame record book.
At the Notre Dame Football Awards Ceremony on Jan. 22, Floyd was named both the 2010 Football Most Valuable Player and one of next season's team captains.
This is Floyd's second consecutive offseason marred by legal issues. In January 2010, Floyd was cited for underage drinking in Minneapolis. Irish coach Brian Kelly, who had been named Notre Dame's head coach less than two months prior to the incident, said he spoke with Floyd about making the right choices.
"We reinforced to [Floyd] that making good choices is going to be paramount to his success in this football program," Kelly said at the time.
A court date of May 2 has been set. The first practice of the spring football season is scheduled for Wednesday at 8 a.m.
