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At a strong criticism, Brett Yormark stated that Notre Dame athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “totally out of bounds” for public criticisms about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

The Source of the Tension

The Fighting Irish maintains a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a full member in other sports. Bevacqua has contended that the ACC harmed Notre Dame’s chances to qualify for the College Football Playoff, instead choosing to pushing for the selection of the University of Miami.

“The ACC do wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we offer significant football value to the ACC, and we didn’t understand why you would go out of your way to try to undermine us in this process,” the athletic director said.

Miami eventually earned the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, primarily due to securing the head-to-head meeting between the two programs. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC engaged in a targeted social media campaign over several weeks indicating its preference for Miami.

An Egregious Response

Later on Tuesday, Yormark spoke about the criticism at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.

“In my view his conduct has been unacceptable,” the commissioner stated. “He is completely out of bounds in his approach and if he was in the same room, I’d tell him the same thing.”

This public criticism is especially significant given Bevacqua’s unique position. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee with the ten FBS conference commissioners, representing the interests of independent Notre Dame.

Past Support and Future Rumors

The commissioner also remarked the support the ACC gave Notre Dame during the Covid-affected 2020 season, giving the Irish a complete conference schedule and a place in its championship game.

“His behavior has been egregious,” he said again. “It’s been unacceptable going after the ACC commissioner, when they rescued Notre Dame during Covid...”

Rumors had circulated about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and partnering with the Big 12. Yet, the commissioner's strong comments on Tuesday seem to make such a partnership highly improbable in the immediate future.

The Irish, who reached the CFP championship game last season, have announced they plan to decline a postseason invitation after missing out this year.