Notre Dame freshman running back Robert Hughes has been excused from the team and has returned home to Chicago to be with his family. Hughes' older brother, Earl, was shot to death early on Tuesday morning in Chicago.Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said the circumstances that led to Earl Hughes' death are under investigation. Police have one witness who said she heard arguing and then shots fired, Bond said.Earl Hughes was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead at 4:12 AM.
The shooting occurred about 12:45 a.m. in the 5300 block of West Wabansia Avenue in the city's North Austin community, police Lt. Steven Masters said.
Neighbors told police they heard several shots, then saw the victim lying motionless on the corner, Masters said. He had been struck in the head and was unresponsive when officers arrived.
As for when Hughes will return to the Irish, nobody's sure, and Charlie Weis isn't about to give him a time frame.
"I told him to come back when he's ready to come back," Weis said Tuesday. "Something like that, how can you give him a time frame?"Just another in a long list of things that have gone wrong for the Irish and their players this season. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Hughes family.




