Report: Notre Dame Fires Head Coach Charlie Weis

Sports News - November 30th, 2009 - Written by John

There was little suspense after finishing the regular 2009 NCAA Football Season with losses in four-straight games, but ESPN made it official on Monday.

Notre Dame has decided to cut ties with head coach Charlie Weis, ending the season-long saga regarding his future with the team. Although it has not been announced by athletic director Jack Swarbrick, sources told the New York Daily News that the program has elected to pay Weis the $15 million buyout and will begin searching for his replacement.

The Fighting Irish went 6-6 this season and are expected to play in a low-level bowl game. Players on the team, though, have begun to question whether they even want to continue the miserable year, instead possibly rejecting a bowl invitation altogether. There is a players-only meeting scheduled for Monday afternoon, in which the team will debate whether or not to play in a bowl.

Weis is in his fifth season, going 35-29, and was under contract until 2015. The Irish started the season 4-1, but crumbled after losing to USC in Week Five. They lost the last four games of the year by a combined 17 points, unable to stop opposing offenses in the final minutes