Brian Kelly believes pregame meal caused Notre Dame COVID-19 outbreak

On Monday, Notre Dame announced that 18 football players tested positive for coronavirus, with the team putting 25 players in isolation and an additional 14 in quarantine due to contact tracing. Head coach Brian Kelly said that a pregame meal before the team's 52-0 win over South Florida on Sept. 19 may have been the culprit.

"Throughout our entire time together, we had not had one meal where we sat down together," Kelly said. "Everything was grab and go. We get into our game situation where we have pregame meal together, and that cost us. Big. We had somebody who was asymptomatic, and it spread like wildfire throughout our meeting area where we were eating and then it got guys in contact tracing."

Last week, Notre Dame put all football-related activities on pause after seven players tested positive for COVID-19, including postponing the game against Wake Forest, which was scheduled for Sept. 26. The Fighting Irish do not have a game scheduled until Oct. 10, when they host Florida State.

"We knew COVID would present challenges throughout the season, and we’ll always put student-athlete health and safety at the forefront of our decision making," Kelly said following the outbreak. "We look forward to resuming team activities and getting back on the playing field."

Beyond the football team, Notre Dame has faced multiple outbreaks since the school year began. In early August, the school had over 304 students test positive for coronavirus. Among the students who tested positive were five football players, causing practice to be temporarily suspended.