Notre Dame players still in state of turmoil

PHOENIX — The sunburn on the faces of Notre Dame football players after their first Insight Bowl practice in Phoenix on Thursday pales in comparison to the sting the squad felt a few weeks back when head coach Tyrone Willingham was fired after a 6-5 season.

“I didn’t see it coming at all,” senior wide receiver Matt Shelton said. “But in this profession, things like that happen. It’s unfortunate that it has to happen. We’ll just move on from there.”

That may be easier said than done considering that some of Notre Dame’s players, including team-voted MVP Justin Tuck, had to be persuaded to take part in Tuesday’s Insight Bowl against Oregon State.

“I didn’t want to come,” said Tuck, who evolved into the school’s all-time sacks leader and a solid NFL prospect under Willingham.

Tuck said he changed his mind after he and some of the other seniors discussed the situation with athletic director Kevin White, interim coach/defensive coordinator Kent Baer and a few other coaches.

“Any time you have a change that was as unexpected as that was it challenges the leadership of the team,” Tuck said. “Luckily, we have a lot of leaders on this team, and the coaches came in and did a great job of keeping this team together.”

Tuck said the players eventually voted on whether to participate in the Insight Bowl and about 70 percent said yes.

The program has endured negative publicity since Willingham’s departure and the eventual hiring of New England Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis a couple of weeks later.

Baer’s future with Notre Dame beyond Tuesday’s game is unclear.