Notre Dame Remains On Course With Bowl Planning, Preparation
With the news that Texas A&M won’t play in the Gator Bowl because of a Covid-19 outbreak, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman considered altering travel plans for the team, but the Irish remain on course.
Freeman said that Fiesta Bowl officials offered to allow the team to come out to Arizona on Thursday, Dec. 30, which was two days before the game. The Fighting Irish (11-1) play Oklahoma State (11-2) on Jan. 1.
Freeman said the team will stick with the plan. That means the player will go home for Christmas. They’ll leave for Arizona on Monday.
Ultimately, Freeman decided it was better to have his players together in a bubble in Arizona then have them back in South Bend in a bubble.
"We think it’s smarter for us to go home, come back and be together,” he said. “Let’s get out there on Monday and make sure we are in our own bubble and not off in different places.”
Freeman said it’s a bonus for his players to make the trip, and he didn't want to take that away from them.
“It’s a reward for them,” Freeman said. “We’re there to win a championship and we’re there to finish as champions but there is a reward to go to Arizona from Saturday to Monday and spend some time in the warm climate.”
According to a story in the Eagle, A&M was down to 38 scholarship players because of injuries, the virus, and transfers. Gator Bowl officials are looking for another opponent for Wake Forest. According to a release from the College Football Playoff committee, if either team in the Cotton, Fiesta, or Orange Bowl is affected significantly by Covid, an attempt to reschedule the game within a week will be made.
Freeman said he considered keeping the players on campus for Christmas but decided it was better to let them go home.
“We talked about it as a staff and with the leadership committee,” he said. “We have to be clear on our expectations with the players and we are very clear. What we expect you to do when we leave is to be smart about where you go and who you are around. I feel confident we’ll be okay.”
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