Notre Dame Bookstore Walks Back Petty Move on Author Who Is on CFP Committee

Ivan Maisel's Friday book signing in South Bend will take place after all.

Notre Dame's university bookstore will not hold a previously scheduled Friday book signing featuring best-selling author Ivan Maisel. / Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

The Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore, the university's massive on-campus shop for books and school apparel, has has reversed its decision to cancel a Friday book signing featuring best-selling author Ivan Maisel.

Maisel recently authored a biography of former Notre Dame head football coach Frank Leahy titled American Coach: The Triumph and Tragedy of Notre Dame Legend Frank Leahy. His book signing was canceled on Wednesday morning by the bookstore due to a "series of events." The bookstore received significant backlash for the decision and has since reversed course, according to a report from Pete Sampson of The Athletic. There will now be a book signing on Friday, and again in the spring during the weekend of the football program's spring game.

Maisel is a member of the College Football Playoff selection committee. The Irish were snubbed from the College Football Playoff last Sunday, and the initial decision to cancel the event appeared to be due to his involvement with the committee.

"I'm disappointed," Maisel told Matt Fortuna when news initially hit that the event was canceled. "I look forward to hearing people out and talking about my book."

The decision by Notre Dame's bookstore to cancel the book signing certainly came off as petty, especially when considering that Maisel recused himself from discussions in the committee room surrounding Notre Dame due to the potential conflict of interest with his recently released book on Leahy.

It is the most recent piece of news surrounding the Fighting Irish's scorched earth approach to being left out of the College Football Playoff. Athletic director Pete Bevacqua has gone on a media tour voicing his displeasure with the lack of transparency week-to-week by the playoff committee, while Notre Dame's players decided they were skipping a bowl game all together this winter.

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