We are just a few short hours away from what promises to be an exciting national championship game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has had a hectic week preparing his team for the tough challenge ahead.
However, off the field, Freeman has been dealing with an unexpected distraction. Multiple reports revealed that Chicago Bears CEO Kevin Warren had been interested in hiring Freeman as the franchise’s next head coach.
For former Notre Dame offensive lineman Mike Golic Jr., the timing couldn’t have been worse.
Golic, who played for the Irish the last time they appeared in a national championship game in 2012, voiced his frustration with the Bears’ pursuit of Freeman during an episode of “Gojo and Golic.”
“We’re going to hear a lot about these folks, the Bears continuing to sniff around Marcus Freeman,” Golic said. “What part of contract extension did y’all not understand, Chicago? What kind of weird home wreckers are you? You know how much of your fan base loves this Notre Dame football team?
Golic went on to express his disbelief at the timing of the Bears’ interest.
“How much of your fan base has derived the only joy in their lives from what Notre Dame’s done this season?” he said. “And you want to come in here and keep talking about old stuff after Notre Dame and Marcus have locked it down? Shame on them.”
Of course, the Bears have decided to hire Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their next head coach, so any possible distraction is officially over.
However, Chicago’s interest in Freeman was reportedly real – and Golic was far from the only Irish supporter who was annoyed by it.
To his credit, Freeman said all the right things in the build-up to tonight’s title game and there are no guarantees that the interest was ever mutual.
Freeman signed a contract extension with Notre Dame in December, which will pay him approximately $9 million per season, solidifying his commitment to the Irish program for the foreseeable future.
Despite the noise surrounding the Bears’ previous interest, Freeman remains focused on preparing his team for the showdown against Ohio State.
What are your thoughts on Golic’s comments?
More importantly, what is your prediction for tonight’s title game?
Will Freeman and the Irish pull off the upset???
