More on Hand

The reason behind junior defensive lineman Derrell Hand's indefinite suspension from the football team surfaced Saturday.

The 20-year-old Hand was arrested and charged with soliciting a prostitute, the South Bend Tribune reported on its Web site Saturday. When contacted Friday by The Journal Gazette, the St. Joseph County Jail and the South Bend Police Department declined to release any information about Hand's arrest.

Our best guess is that this will be the last you see of Hand for a while. Based on how Notre Dame handled its last player to be arrested -- point guard Kyle McAlarney -- one would think Hand will be out for at least the semester. Add to it the embarrassing nature of the crime and he might not return at all.

It also leaves Notre Dame thinner at a spot that already lacked depth. Unless the Irish move people around, junior Pat Kuntz and incoming freshman Ian Williams have an open path to immediate playing time.

-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette