Notre Dame Coach Confiscates Players’ Passports To Prevent Trips To Violent Juarez
Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly isn’t too worried about what the fans call the “Catholics vs. the Convicts” matchup against Miami in the Hyundai Sun Bowl Dec. 31 in El Paso, Texas.
He’s more concerned that a wayward trip by players into Juarez, Mexico could become the Catholics vs. the cartels.
That is why he will be taking all his players’ passports to prevent trips to Juarez, a city that has had more than 3,000 murders this year during a bloody drug war between rival cartels and the Mexican government.
?That?s serious. Don?t go over the border, or you may not come back, simply,? Kelly told the (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette. ?Now I know El Paso is the safest city in the country, but it?s serious. This isn?t, ?Hey, let?s give it a shot, guys, and jump in the car and see what it?s like.? You can?t go there, or nobody is going to be able to help you. There?s just been too much turmoil. ? You take the passports, they can?t get back. These guys are smart enough to know that.?
Read more about Kelly’s preparations for the Sun Bowl here.
Of this year’s Juarez murders, around 10 percent of those killed in 2010 have been women. Last year there were about 2,600 murders in Juarez.
On average, more than eight people are murdered daily. By comparison, El Paso has had five murders in all of 2010.
There have been several multiple-homicides in Juarez this year, including at a few house parties and the shooting deaths of a U.S. Embassy worker and her husband in the spring. The killings have not just been done using guns. In the summer, a car bomb was detonated and killed three people.
In an effort to stop the violent drug war in Juarez, several city officials have traveled to Medellin, Colombia to see how that city and country were able to recover from its drug war of nearly 20 years ago.
This summer, stray bullets from a gun battle in Juarez struck El Paso City Hall but no one was injured on the U.S. side of the border.
A few weeks later a bullet from Juarez struck a building on the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) campus. No one was injured on campus because it was evening and nobody was on campus.
Juarez Murder Totals In Recent Years 2009: 2,626 2008: 1,609 2007: 353
Related Links:Link:Video Captures Juarez Bomb Explosion As Medics Tend To Injured ManLink:Why It’s Possible A Bullet From Juarez Shootout Could Hit UTEP CampusLink:Special Report Part 1: Comparing Colombia’s Past Drug War To Juarez’s Current Violence
