Hours after being left out of the CFP, Marcus Freeman’s team pulled out of the Pop-Tarts Bowl against BYU. Yet in the middle of all the chaos, Notre Dame’s president is standing right behind his team, defending their decisions and praising their efforts.

“On behalf of the entire Notre Dame community, I want to express how incredibly proud we are of our football student-athletes for their accomplishments both on and off the field this season,” Notre Dame’s President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, said. “We are deeply grateful for the exceptional leadership of Vice President and Director of Athletics Pete Bevacqua, Head Coach Marcus Freeman, and the entire coaching staff. Our pride stems not only from this team’s success on the field but also from the values they embody: faith, perseverance, selfless

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