Seventeen-year-old Notre Dame football recruit Matt James died on Friday evening at the Days Inn Motel in Panama City Beach after falling off a balcony. Witnesses claim he was drunk and belligerent before the fall.
From ESPN.com:
James was part of a group of about 40 St. Xavier students and a half-dozen parents on the trip.
“Witnesses and friends indicate he had become drunk and belligerent,” Humphreys said. “He had leaned over the balcony rail, was shaking his finger at the people in the next room over. He fell over.”
Humphreys said the railing at the hotel met the standards for proper height. He said police would be interested in pursuing charges if they learn who provided the underage teen with alcohol.
When I first read that parents were also on the trip, I wondered how James got drunk in the first place. But let’s be honest – teenagers will always find ways to sneak alcohol past parents. It’s a sad incident and one that could have been avoided, but it was an accident. I just hope a parent wasn’t the one that supplied the alcohol, because there’s no excuse for that kind of irresponsibility.
