Why Kyle Hamilton leaving Notre Dame before bowl ‘is a business decision’
Kyle Hamilton pushed for Marcus Freeman to become Notre Dame's new head coach as much as anyone. And when Freeman walked into the Irish Athletic Center last week to be formally introduced, Hamilton walked right behind him alongside Freeman's family.
But just a few days later, Hamilton announced he'd skip the Fiesta Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft. That decision immediately changed Hamilton's status with the Fighting Irish.
"When you decide to go pro, you're really saying, 'Hey, I'm moving on and I'm going to be a former player,'" Freeman said.
Just like that, Hamilton's active career with the Irish was over.
Hamilton did not practice with Notre Dame in the Irish's first two sessions (Saturday and Sunday) under Freeman's guidance. Why would he? The whole point of opting out of a bowl is to stay away from situations that could incur potential injuries.
He had already emotionally addressed his teammates with running back Kyren Williams, who made the same decision. That iconic duo's days in blue and gold had come to a close with one game left unplayed.
That's a concept some people haven't been able to bring themselves to understand.
"A lot of people have hit me on social media and have been commenting on the stuff I posted like, 'you're selfish' and stuff like that," Hamilton said on his podcast "Inside The Garage."
Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach had a comment on the subject go viral last week. He too used the word "selfish." He said players owe it to their coaches, teammates and the program's fan base to suit up one final time regardless of what's around the corner in terms of preparing for the next level.
Leach called it an "obligation" to "finish what you start."
"It's the most bizarre thing in the world to me," Leach said. "Somebody says, 'Well, I can't play one more, and they think they're going to have a storied 10-year career, and they can't play one more college game. Well, that's ridiculous. Guys will go to the NFL, make the Pro Bowl and then play in the Pro Bowl. It's one of the biggest absurdities that I've seen."
Hamilton's teammates and "Inside The Garage" cohosts totally disagreed with Leach.
Walk-on wide receiver Conor Ratigan said everyone involved in a college football program has their own agenda. He pointed to the coaching carousel that swerved straight through South Bend and violently spun around the country in the midst of the final week of the regular season and conference championship week.
Did Brian Kelly have an obligation to finish what he started at Notre Dame this season? He left the program for LSU when the Irish still had a chance to qualify for the College Football Playoff. At least in Hamilton's case, he would have been around had Notre Dame snuck in as a semifinalist.
"It's not that I don't want to play," Hamilton said. "If we're in the playoff right now — I've told you guys, I've told all the coaches — if we're in the playoff, I'm going to go. I want to go win a national championship. I'm going to suit up. I'm going to play."
Hamilton understands the stakes of the Fiesta Bowl. He's aware Notre Dame hasn't won a major bowl game in nearly 30 years. But he also knows getting injured trying to to snap that streak would be a lot more frustrating and would eat away at him much more than if it happened trying to secure Notre Dame's first national championship since 1988.
Junior cornerback Cam Hart gets where Hamilton is coming from.
"As your teammate, as Kyren's teammate, we all see the daily grind you go through," Hart said. "On the slim chance that, knock on wood, you get hurt or something messes up, the first thing that a school would do or a fan would do or sometimes even a coach, you're on the back burner. You're no longer anything that can help the team.
"I think of it as you guys have had a dream your entire life to make it to the NFL and take care of your family no matter what the family situation is. Kyren, he has a different situation than you. I'm not trying to speak for him, but he wants to make sure his mom and sister are fine. And that's his goal.
"So why not allow a 21-year-old, 20-year-old to live out his dream and go prosper in the NFL? There have been multiple players who have gotten hurt in this game, and that's cost them a ton of money and potential on a team. So as your teammate, I fully support that."
Hamilton noted former Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith's injury and the impact it had on his career. Smith was a probably first-round talent before tearing his ACL in the 2015-16 Fiesta Bowl. He dropped to a late second-round selection and has never been the same since.
Smith stayed with the Dallas Cowboys for over five seasons but was released in October. The Green Bay Packers picked him up but dropped him less than a month later. He's currently still a free agent. Hamilton said a Fiesta Bowl victory would not have been worth the career-altering injury Smith sustained. The Irish lost the game 44-28 to Ohio State anyway.
Six years in the NFL is a long time, but Hamilton has aspirations of playing much longer. He's rated as the No. 2 overall draft prospect per ESPN's Mel Kiper. He'd like for it to stay that way through April, and sitting out the Fiesta Bowl is the best way for that to happen from his perspective.
"It's a business decision at this point," Hamilton said. "My body is my business. Literally, hopefully for a long time it will be what I'm earning an income off of."
And unlike Leach, that's a statement Freeman could rally behind.
"I support them 100 percent and no matter what they decide, they're always going to have the support of us," Freeman said. "They know that they're a part of what we've done and what we're going to continue to do moving forward. Those are special guys, man, that have done a lot of stuff for this program, and I wish him all the best."
----
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
• Sign up for Blue & Gold's news alerts and daily newsletter.
• Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts.
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @MikeTSinger, @PatrickEngel_, @tbhorka, @GregLadky, and @ToddBurlage.
• Like us on Facebook.