It was brief and still couldn’t have ended soon enough.
A video of Brian Kelly saying his farewell to Notre Dame players leaked out on Wednesday morning and was published by Barstool Sports. In it, Kelly — who bolted the Irish for the LSU head-coaching job on Monday night — gave a nearly four-minute speech at the 7 a.m, meeting that was met by complete silence.
“As you know I sent out the text [Monday] night trying to give you as much notice as possible given the circumstances we all know that happened on social media and information getting out,” Kelly said in the video presumably shot by one of his players.
“We’ve been through this together, everybody in this room. I wanted to tell you face-to-face why we’re at where we’re at. And that is very simply that the past 12 years have been the most incredible 12 years of my life for me and my family. It’s magical what we’ve been able to build with the most incredible student athletes I am looking at right now.”
Kelly shocked the college football world by leaving South Bend for Baton Rouge by way of a 10-year deal that will likely end up paying him over $100 million. Notre Dame is 11-1, ranked No. 6 and still very much alive for a spot in the College Football Playoff. He was criticized for the news abruptly leaking out before texting his players to have them come to this early-morning meeting.
“So many times people are looking for a reason to blame or there was a reason for something,” the 60-year-old Kelly said. “There was nothing here but first-class in everything Notre Dame has done for me and my family. I saw my time here as a blessing working with incredible men on a day-to-day basis.
“There comes a time when you look in your life for another opportunity and I felt like it was time in my life for another challenge. And I saw that opportunity in a very short window and felt that it was best for me and my family to pursue a new challenge… You guys have been the backbone of the program and what you’ve accomplished and will continue to do that.”
According to The Athletic, the feeling among Notre Dame players turned from “frustration to disdain” after LSU released a video of Kelly saying, “The expectation for me was to be a legitimate contender for championships.” The players took that as a swipe at Notre Dame’s ability to compete for a national title.
In his speech to players, Kelly called Notre Dame “one of the best four teams in the country,” though his exit may alter their chances of getting picked for the playoffs.
“I don’t know what (the future) holds for us moving forward, but I hope to heck it means that you are playing for the national championship because you absolutely deserve it,” Kelly said. “From the bottom of my heart I want to thank everyone of you for giving me this opportunity to speak to you directly.”
It is unclear who will coach Notre Dame on an interim basis, either in the playoffs or a high-profile bowl game.
