Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick Is Retiring

21/03/2024 17:44

Jack Swarbrick is nearing the end of his Notre Dame tenure.

The athletic director announced plans to step down early this year in June. Pete Bevacqua, the chairman of NBC Sports Group, will take Swarbrick's place.

Per Sportico's Daniel Libit, Swarbrick is retiring this week but will remain the athletic director emeritus through June. He turned 70 years old on Tuesday.

Swarbrick, who wraps up 15 years on the job, expressed concerns over the state of college sports while conveying a desire to remain involved with Notre Dame athletics.

"I feel so bad about how it's messed up right now," Swarbrick told Libit. "I hope I can find a path that allows me to still play a role."

Swarbrick said he considered NIL a "no-brainer," and he advocated for colleges to collectively bargain with athletes during a Congressional hearing last October. However, he criticized the NCAA's handling of NIL when recalling a 2019 meeting in which former NCAA president Mark Emmert labeled NIL an "existential threat."

"Boy, I thought that was focused on the wrong thing," Swarbrick said this week. "It wasn't an existential threat—it never was. It was about how we implement it. And unfortunately, we passed on any sort of rational implementation."

While Swarbrick understands that college sports aren't their top priority, he argued there's "no long-term solution without Congressional assistance." However, he's optimistic about college sports surviving.

"I think it's too important not to continue in some form," Swarbrick said. "It may look different than it does today, but it'll still be college athletics."

Per Sportico, Bevacqua led recent College Football Playoff broadcast negotiations with ESPN. Notre Dame, an independent program, will reportedly match Big 12 members by making $12 million annually.

Swarbrick said he feels "very good" about the deal for Notre Dame. He plans to stay nearby in Indianapolis after stepping down but doesn't want to overstay his welcome.

"I don't want to be one of those former coaches or ADs that just hangs around," he said. "So I'll try and make myself scarce unless I'm requested."