Charlie Weis Is Fat, Charitable - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

He may have just lost his civil lawsuit, and he might not know who is starting quarterback is yet, but that doesn't mean Charlie Weis hasn't found any time to take care of other matters more important to his heart. On Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Weis broke ground on the new residential center for disabled adults he's building in honor of his daughter, Hannah.

Hannah inspired Weis and his wife, Maura, to create Hannah and Friends, a charity that seeks to improve the quality of life for those with special needs. Hannah has global development delay, a form of mental retardation.

They created the charity after the coach nearly died of internal bleeding following gastric bypass surgery in June 2002 while he was offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.

The facility covers 30 acres of land and will include living quarters for caretakers, 16 residence homes for the disabled, and a recreation center. When Weis and his wife decided to do this, the target date to have it completed was 2015, but then Weis got the job at Notre Dame and it sped up the process.

"As a parent of a kid with special needs, your biggest nightmare and fear is what's going to happen when you're gone to our kid. I'm telling you, there's no bigger concern as a parent than that," Weis said. "So we're in a small way trying to help."

I don't know if it's too late to include it in the plans, but maybe Charlie can put a house on the property for his players to take their "dates."