Should Notre Dame football cancel Navy series? Marcus Freeman weighs in

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman rejected calls to cancel the program’s long-running football rivalry with Navy despite injuries to Drayk Bowen, Francis Brewu and Jason Onye in a game played Saturday Oct. 31. Freeman said Monday Nov. 2, ahead of the Irish’s matchup with No. 1 Miami, that he doesn’t believe the injuries were intentional. He pointed to the rivalry’s scheduling history agreed by presidents since 1927 and said he would let Notre Dame’s administration handle dates. Freeman noted multiple “high-low blocks” incidents and discussed communication with officials. Brewu, a Pittsburgh transfer, and Onye are listed as questionable with knee injuries after leaving early. Freeman cited data from One Foot Down suggesting seven of 17 defensive linemen or linebackers injured in Notre Dame’s last 139 games (since 2016) were against Navy.