Mike Aresco, the Big East commissioner, had comments Thursday on the announcement Notre Dame will be leaving for the Atlantic Coast Conference in all sports excepting football and hockey, two sports the Irish did not play in the Big East. Aresco's short comment is predictably positive:
Notre Dame has been a valued member of the BIG EAST Conference and we wish them success in the future. However, Notre Dame’s departure does not change our plans. We have prestigious institutions that are excited to be a part of the BIG EAST. We remain committed to making the BIG EAST stronger than it has ever been.
Notre Dame's move was already praised by Syracuse AD Daryl Gross, and shows a change of heart for Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, who didn't have kind words for Syracuse and Pittsburgh when they bolted for the ACC last September. The Fighting Irish will be the ACC's 15th school.
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