Kelly: Shembo’s silence on alleged attack ‘collaborative decision’

SOUTH BEND — Former Notre Dame linebacker Prince Shembo told reporters at last week’s NFL Combine that he was advised by coach Brian Kelly to not discuss the Lizzy Seeberg investigation while he was still with the Irish.

Kelly addressed Shembo’s comments Friday, saying it was a “collaborative decision.”

“I don’t make any decisions inde- pendent when it comes to major decisions at this university. The head football coach works in concert with our administration. We made a decision, based upon the information that we had, that we felt it was Prince’s best interest that this was not a matter that needed to be discussed,” Kelly said.

Last Saturday, Shembo revealed he was the player investigated in 2010 for the alleged sexual attack of Seeberg, a Saint Mary’s College freshman who committed suicide days after the alleged incident.

Shembo told ESPN.com that Kelly “told me I couldn’t talk about it.”

“I wanted to talk about it (then),” Shembo said. “I wanted to, but they had to keep everything confidential. Now that I’m out (of school), I can talk about it.”

Shembo was never charged in the case. He told ESPN.com that he was innocent. He said NFL teams have asked him about the accusation.

“The reason I wanted to talk was just to clear up my name,” Shembo said. “My name was in flames, pret- ty much.”

Restrictions to talk, according to Kelly, were not put in place.

“That was certainly something that he could have decided to discuss. We didn’t threaten him with he couldn’t play or we’re going to put him on the bench or throw him out of school. It was still his decision,” Kelly said. “But talking to his parents and talking to Prince, we felt because of the information that we had in front of us that it was matter that be left alone at that time.”