Notre Dame Football Recruiting: Davonte Neal Reportedly Steered To Irish By Father?

So, Davonte Neal cited a family emergency for why he didn't show up for his announcement earlier this afternoon.

Spoke to Davonte Neal, who cited a family emergency this morning at 2:30 a.m. for altering announcement plans. Also apologetic delays.
— Irish Illustrated (@NDatRivals) February 21, 2012

There was probably a family emergency, but not of the "grandmother ruptures spleen" or "sister has emergency root canal" type. It was a crisis of confidence between son and father about where to attend school and play college football.

Reports are: Davonte Neal wants Arizona, his dad wants Notre Dame. As of right now, all indications are that Davonte Neal is not showing up.
— Daily Wildcat Sports (@WildcatSports) February 21, 2012

#Davonte Neal a no-show for his college choice. He wants UA, dad wants ND. This, in a nutshell, is why these announcements are ridiculous.
— Craig Morgan (@cmorgancbsfoxaz) February 21, 2012

Neal's dad has been relatively absent throughout his childhood, and he admits that he was a "deadbeat dad". But it seems like dad won out in the end here and got his son to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

These situations are usually not a good sign. You never want your parents picking which college you should end up at, because that usually leads to all sorts of insecurities down the road and might affect his future. You just have to hope Neal is accepting of the decision and will play as well as he can and make the most of his opportunities. It's not like Notre Dame is a bad school; he should be able to thrive if given the chance to succeed.

To talk about Neal going to the Irish, head on over to One Foot Down. To discuss Neal not going to the Wildcats, check out Arizona Desert Swarm.