That article on NFL.com is lame. Somebody has it in for ND. Why would they bring the low buyout figure up now? Why wasn't it brought up in December 2004 when Weis was hired? Why wasn't it brought up in August? They now bring it up becasue Charlie has already proven he can win at the collegiate level. They bring it up now that Charlie has proven he can recruit, with one of the most heralded recruiting classes coming in next year. A lot of programs and people across the country are afraid of the dynasty that Charlie may be building in South Bend. That's the bottom line.
When Weis was hired, he said the following.
“I don’t come here to leave and take a job in the NFL in three years,” Weis said. “This is not a stepping stone. This is an end-all for our family. When we come to Notre Dame, we come here with the intent of retiring here.”
“That’s why we’re coming here. We don’t come here to bounce somewhere else. If that’s what I was going to be doing, I would not be taking this job and I would be waiting till the season ended in the NFL and try to get one of those jobs. I’m here because I want to be here. I’m proud to be here. I’m thankful to be here.”
Tom Lemming, the recruiting analyst who has spoken with Charlie numerous times since Weis was hired said the following about the article.
“I can’t imagine this is anything but somebody trying to ****** Notre Dame’s progress in recruiting,” Lemming said. “He never looked at this job as a stepping stone. He’s a Notre Dame grad with a love for the school, and he plans on staying for a while to develop it into a national power. And then when he does, why would he want to leave? With every experience I’ve had with him, he seems to be a man of his word. And he hasn’t said one word about the NFL.”
Now can we put this Weis to the NFL rumor to bed once and for all. It's not going to happen anytime soon.