College basketball fans generally assume that ESPN analyst Dick Vitale is a little biased towards some of the premier programs in the state of North Carolina. But when it comes to college football, Vitale does not have to hide his allegiance. Vitale, who has two daughters who played varsity tennis for the school, openly roots for Notre Dame on the gridiron. Sunday, on Twitter, he stood up for his favorite program after seeing Irish “bashers” lay into the school following the latest alleged academic scandal.

I have a tough time dealing with the ND bashers- someone explain to me since I AM A DUMMY -WHAT DID ND do wrong in the latest situation? — Dick Vitale (@DickieV) August 17, 2014

There are a few things at play here. First and foremost, it’s no secret that Notre Dame is one of the most envied/disliked programs in the country. Fans of other teams generally don’t waste an opportunity to take shots at the Irish when they can.

But regarding the issue at hand, there are a number of ways to look at it. Vitale, clearly, believes that the administration did its job by discovering the academic dishonesty, reporting it to the NCAA, and making it clear that appropriate action will be taken. On the flip side, the bashers would argue that at Notre Dame, which prides itself on academics, this shouldn’t happen in the first place.

So far, the general public only knows that four current players are under investigation for the alleged transgressions. At some point soon, we’ll know more regarding how and why it all happened.