Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua said Tuesday that the Irish declining a bowl invitation this year does not mean the program will opt out of non-College Football Playoff bowl games in the future.

"(Opting out this year) was a decision that I applaud," Bevacqua said. "I think it was a hard decision. I think (the team) knew it was going to be a hard decision. I think they knew it was going to be a decision that not everybody was going to love. But it was the right decision for this team at this moment. I'm positive of that."

Bevacqua said Irish coach Marcus Freeman took the temperature of the team, which was against playing with a roster likely to be significantly reduced by individual opt-outs for NFL draft preparation.

"They didn't feel it was right for this team to make the d

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