Coach Brian Kelly said in a Friday press conference that Notre Dame might not play in the ACC championship game if families are not allowed to attend. Kelly’s statement comes after the College Football Playoff (CFP) committee decided to hold the Rose Bowl at a location in Los Angeles County, which is under a stay-at-home order and where sporting events including college football will “remain spectator-free.”
“I’m not sure we’ll play in the playoffs if the parents can’t be there,” Kelly said. “Why would we play if you can’t have families at the game? If you can’t have families at bowl games, why would you go to a game where your families can’t be part of it? What’s the sense of playing a game in an area of the country where nobody can be part of it?”
@headcoachbriankelly standing up for what’s right! #LetThemPlay pic.twitter.com/hcwOa2j7LI
— Dos Leprechauns (@dosleprechauns) December 18, 2020
“Why can’t it be the Rose Bowl in Las Vegas or can it be the Rose Bowl in another town?” Kelly said. “Where’s the flexibility for the student-athlete is all I’m saying. The one thing these kids have been is incredibly flexible, and then on the other side we can’t be flexible? It’s hard to imagine.”
“CFP executive director Bill Hancock said earlier this week that they are hoping the state of California will ease its COVID-19 stadium restrictions and allow players’ families to attend the game in Pasadena, California,” ESPN reported.
