South Bend, Ind. ? Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said Saturday it was his decision to hold practice outdoors on a windy day when a student videographer died after the lift he was in fell over.

Kelly said that he decided the Irish could have a productive and safe practice on their outdoor practice fields Wednesday, despite the wind. The National Weather Service said the breeze was gusting up to 51 mph at the time the tower that 20-year Declan Sullivan was in toppled to the ground.

Notre Dame had systems in place that deal with safety issues at practice, but those systems failed and are being evaluated, Kelly said. Conditions including the heat index, lightning in the area and — obviously — wind, play into the decision whether to hold practice outside, he said.

“You have to be able to look at the weather conditions and find out whether you believe it’s going to be a productive day, first. We believed it to be productive, it was productive, obviously up until the tragedy,” Kelly said, speaking to reporters after Notre Dame’s 28-27 loss to Tulsa.

“Practice must be safe,” he added.

A moment of silence was observed and a prayer offered before Saturday’s game for Sullivan. Both teams wore shamrock decals with the letters DS on them.

Later Saturday, Declan’s parents, Alison and Barry Sullivan, released a statement through Notre Dame saying they were grateful “for the consideration shown to us by the Notre Dame administration and everyone associated with the university” in the wake of their son’s death. The school held a memorial Mass for Declan on Thursday night.

“Declan loved Notre Dame. He felt privileged to have a role with the football program videotaping games and practices. The grief we feel is tempered by the knowledge that Dec was doing what he loved in the place he most wanted to be,” his parents’ statement said.

“Declan’s life was cut short after just 20 years, but he leaves this world a better place for having been here. We hope that all that knew him join us in celebrating our son’s life and remembering the joy he brought to so many.”

Kelly said he didn’t have answers as to why someone didn’t tell Sullivan to get off the tower, or who was responsible for monitoring the changing conditions.

“Those are all the things that we’re examining right now. We could probably come up with a number of different things that we’re all wondering. Those are the questions that are being asked exactly as you’ve asked them,” he said.