“It’s Not Awkward" - Brian Kelly Still Feels Home at Notre Dame
- Alex Madsen
- 22 hours ago
- 3 min read
Recently, the controversial former coach appeared on ‘The Independent’ podcast to discuss his current feelings toward his former job.
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
Brian Kelly. The two words that can set off nearly every single Notre Dame diehard. Despite Kelly holding the most wins in Irish history, his image is still largely controversial among fans. Kelly left South Bend for LSU and Baton Rouge in late November of 2021. Notre Dame players found out via a 10 pm text from Kelly, who then expanded on the text with a 10-minute meeting the next morning. Needless to say, public perception of Kelly in South Bend, and elsewhere, is anything but timid.
Lou Holtz, the last Notre Dame coach to lead the team to a National Championship in 1988, and Kelly had somewhat of a spotty connection. Holtz reportedly wrote Kelly around eight different letters, all positive, Holtz said, over his time behind the Irish helm. However, Kelly responded to exactly zero of these letters, according to Holtz.
Perhaps this is why it shocked many fans whenever Kelly reemerged on campus for the first time for Holtz’s funeral. Despite Holtz’s remarks, Kelly remembers the connection differently. After being asked about the Holtz funeral by the host of the ‘Independent’ podcast, Kelly said:
“Well, first because of the man. You know the legacy that he has left at Notre Dame. I feel like you, as a former head football coach, at minimum you show the respect of the seat that you were in.”
Anyone with a good-natured intuition might claim that perhaps the environment of Notre Dame might make revisiting awkward for Kelly. However, the former coach feels different.
“Um, it doesn't feel awkward. I think that's probably the best way to put it. I don't feel awkward.”
Which confused many fans, considering the constant hate thrown at Kelly by Irish fans on the various socials. However, Kelly provides somewhat ample reasoning for why his presence isn’t out of place at Our Lady’s campus.
“Obviously, we did a lot of great things for the university through our foundation. And so we feel that we have a connection with Notre Dame that we want to continue within the parameters that we're allowed. So we'll be very cognizant of that. I'm not going to be running around campus for my workouts. But we're going to be seen when we have the opportunity.”
Kelly’s seemingly intentional ignorance of how fans perceive him will be put on full display over the next few months, as Kelly also hinted at a visit to his old assistant Marcus Freeman and the rest of the Irish staff in the future.
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