Irish radio broadcaster taken off assignment for comments

Allen Pinkett, the Notre Dame radio commentator who made comments about the football program being better off with criminals, was taken off assignment for the game against Navy, reports ESPN.com.

"I've always felt like to have a successful team you've got to have a few bad citizens on the team," Pinkett said on WSCR-AM yesterday. "That's how Ohio State used to win all the time."

When given a chance to explain, Pinkett did not saying, "You look at the teams that have won in the past they have always had a couple of criminals."

Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said that Pinkett's statement was "nonsense."

"Don Criqui and Jeff Jeffers will handle the broadcast duties. Notre Dame taking on Navy at the Emerald Isle Classic in Dublin is an historic game showcasing the very best of American college sports," a statement from The IMG Notre Dame Radio Network said. "The event deserves to be free of distraction. Further decisions on this matter will be made in the coming days."