Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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cause they get that raw emotion inter- view. But it was more difficult for me." Bertsch cringed at some footage such as senior nose guard Jarron Jones' knee injury in practice, and admitted huge disappointment about the scene that showed senior left tackle Ronnie Stanley addressing teammates on why he can't accept a captaincy. Overall, though, Bertsch said there were no major confrontations with the camera crew and the Showtime people were "awesome." Kelly said the documentary was a positive, but said there would be no sequels. "It was my decision to bring the cameras in, because I felt our program was at a point where this is who we are," Kelly said. "We're not changing. What you see is what you get. "It was a calculated decision to al- low those cameras to come in and take a look at who we were without be- ing scripted. And whatever happened, happened. "There were some good things that happened, and there were some not great things that happened. But I wanted them to be able to portray and show who we were, and from what I hear it's been a positive experience for those who have watched the show. And I know from the recruits, they liked it because they got to see a lot more of the program they wouldn't normally see." "Notre Dame provides so much, but what really turned me was the show," said prep safety Devin Studstill, a re- cent Irish verbal commitment and a Florida native. "That gave me the in- sight of the everyday life of players. That was great and very positive for me." "Knowing now what I know about how it's been a positive thing, I would do it over again from that perspec- tive," Kelly said. "But I wouldn't bring them back in for a second year." Stone and Showtime won't have any problems with takers in the future. Schools have already reached out to Showtime to volunteer to do such a documentary in the future after watch- ing the shows on the Fighting Irish. For Notre Dame, it got it right on "the first take." ✦ In addition to covering players on the field, the Showtime cameras also followed some around on campus and elsewhere, including on fall break. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS