One of the major themes of Monday's news conference announcing that Charlie Weis was fired at Notre Dame was the misconception of who the departing coach is.

Athletic director Jack Swarbrick said in is opening statement that he never met anyone who had a bigger gulf between perception and reality of who they were than Weis.

"People don't know what kind of person he is," safety Kyle McCarthy said. "When you get to know him on a personal level, he is very caring. He is a guy who cares about his players and his team. He cares about you as a person most importantly. I am just thankful and appreciative of what he has done for me."

Center Eric Olsen said Weis is a family man who cares about his players, and the senior captain also said he was fortunate to be able to pick his coach's mind about playing football.

"Obviously I'm very close to Coach Weis and this breaks my heart and is tough to swallow," Olsen said. "He's such a stand-up guy and for him to take it week after week, taking all the blame on himself from the media and for him to stand up in front of the press says a lot about his character. As a person Coach Weis is a family man, he cares about his players. And as a coach, it has been great for me to pick his mind about all the little things about playing football."