Notre Dame AD: Relationship with Brian Kelly is 'business as usual'

Rumors have swirled surrounding whether Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly will stay or go, but athletic director Jack Swarbrick is sticking by his man on the sidelines.

Swarbrick voiced his support for Kelly on his radio show Friday, following a disappointing 4-8 campaign for the Fighting Irish that saw defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder fired on Sept. 25. Swarbrick was adamant last month that Kelly would return next season as head coach, and he continues to stick to his word.

"I certainly understand the engagement and the discussion of the program, but it's very much business as usual," Swarbrick said. "We have a whole series of things we do at the end of the year. ... Coach Kelly's meeting with every member of the team over a three-day period to talk to them. Obviously he meets with staff. Then him and I come together at the end of that process to sit down and talk about what we need to change, what's next, what the plans are for the upcoming year, so in that sense, it's been absolutely business as usual from our perspective."

Kelly channeled his inner Terminator last week following the end of Notre Dame's season, stating "I'll be back" to coach in 2017, however, reports later surfaced that Kelly would be seeking other coaching options. Kelly vehemently denied those reports, pledging his full commitment to Notre Dame going forward.

Related: Kelly denies he could leave Notre Dame: 'I am fully committed'

"We talked about it," Swarbrick said. "We had a discussion on the night after the game when the reports came out, and I was sort of - I fully understood the background of those reports and Brian and I had had clear discussions about his intentions and his future, and of course he clarified those, I think both at the press conference after the game and then in the subsequent statement that went out."