Brian Kelly: Execution joke was attempt to mimic former coach
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly caused a stir after joking that his entire team may need to be executed following a narrow 41-38 overtime victory over Florida State on Sunday.
Brian Kelly: “I’m in favor of execution. Maybe our entire team needs to be executed tonight.” pic.twitter.com/BmNcDNHq3d
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) September 6, 2021
Kelly expressed shock at the reaction his remark received, saying he was attempting to mimic former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach John McKay, who was asked about his club's execution during the 1976 season and replied "I'm in favor of it."
"It's an old John McKay quote," Kelly said, according to Adam Rittenburg of ESPN. "I was kidding. It was tongue-in-cheek. It wasn't funny?"
"I was talking and making a joke about it," he added. "It was taken serious? Are you people crazy?"
"I was stealing one of his old quotes and being funny, because nobody likes to be funny anymore," Kelly continued. "If you want to take me to town on that, please do."
The Fighting Irish coughed up an 18-point lead to the Seminoles in the fourth quarter. However, Notre Dame was able to escape with a victory following a game-winning field goal in overtime.