Any time a coaching change is made, it's tough on the players.

That was especially true on Monday for the men who wear the gold helmets.

The Irish players officially heard the news from Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick during a 3pm team meeting on Monday that head coach Charlie Weis had been fired.

"I certainly wasn't happy about it," junior receiver Golden Tate said. Tate and Weis share a special bond. Tate says Weis treats Golden like a son.

Tate talked to Weis over the phone, but did not see him in person on Monday. None of the Irish players did. Weis has not been on campus since returning from Stanford early Sunday morning. He was told immediately following the game by Swarbrick that it was over.

Captain and center Eric Olsen, distraught over the decision, also spoke with Weis on the phone on Monday.

"My heart goes out to him," Olsen said. "He was calming me down when I was talking to him because I was pretty upset."

Olsen and fellow offensive captain Jimmy Clausen were the ones two weeks ago who showcased their appreciation for Weis publicly, but asking their embattled coach to walk out of the tunnel with them arm-and-arm for the final home game.

"There's a big gap on the perception of Coach Weis and what kind of person he really is," safety and captain Kyle McCarthy said. "We respect him an awful lot."

"I wish him well. He's done a lot for me as a person and a player and I can't thank him enough."

McCarthy and Olsen are among a group who may have already played their final game under the Golden Dome---depending on whether the Irish choose to go to a bowl game.

That's a far cry from where the senior leaders thought this program was headed one month ago.

On Halloween, the Irish were 6-2 and thinking BCS. One month later---the legacy of this senior class is tarnished.

"It's heart-wrenching," Olsen explains. "Obviously going 0-4 the last four games is tough for me to swallow. Stanford possibly being the last game of my college football career is even tougher to swallow."

"All that happened and then Coach Weis got fired on top of that. For me personally it really is tough."

Of course, there still could be that one last game. If guys like Olsen and McCarthy have their way, the Irish will play in a Bowl game.

"I would like to play in another game," McCarthy said emphatically. "Just that taste in your mouth--you don't want to leave with that bad taste in your mouth. You always want to end on a winning note."

The captains and leadership committee met with Swarbrick Monday to discuss those Bowl options. The players have their say, but Swarbrick will ultimately make the decision